


The (New) New Republic

by asingerofsongs, MayGlenn



Series: Stars and Skies [21]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Poe Dameron (Comics)
Genre: Clone Wars, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Hand Jobs, Horses, Hurt Poe Dameron, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury Recovery, Loss of Limbs, M/M, Major Character Injury, Medical Procedures, Old Friends, PWP: Politics Without Porn, Permanent Injury, Politics, Prescription Drug Use and Abuse, Prosthesis, Reincarnation?, Stormtrooper Culture, Stormtrooper Rebellion, The Dameron Farm, The First Order Is Shitty, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2018-12-09 21:14:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 78,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11677203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asingerofsongs/pseuds/asingerofsongs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayGlenn/pseuds/MayGlenn
Summary: "The reporter will be coming in with the Republic delegations and the doctors we requested. We can replace Poe's arm with only the most basic models here, so we've invited a specialist. Which, since there's good PR in it for him—rebuilding the arm of the man who told the First Order to go fuck themselves, our best pilot, et cetera—the doctor is doing it basically for free."Leia pursed her lips and muttered, "I haven't had to sell myself for the mission like this in a long time. At least this time there's no gold bikini involved."Finn and Rey didn't get it, but she chuckled to herself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has followed and is still reading the series we so love writing! Apologies for the late start of this one, as MayGlenn was at a conference and Singer was moving!! We should be back to your regularly scheduled Sunday updates now. 
> 
> 134 days to The Last Jedi, when all of this will be rendered noncanonical. Better get posting! ;)

Leia seemed somewhat surprised to see Rey and Finn so soon, but motioned to two chairs as they entered her office. After they were seated, she came around the desk and leaned against it to give them a solemn, concerned look.

"Before you give your official report, in my capacity _not_ as your General—are you both alright?"

They nodded, looking a bit shell-shocked, but didn’t say anything.

“How’s Poe? Any news?”

They shrugged.

Still in surgeries, then. At least they looked like they had bathed, and perhaps rested briefly since they landed. Maybe they had eaten, but...

"Connix sent for food, so we'll have something shortly. In the meantime—" she paused, leaving the rest unsaid, and went to a side table where she kept a kettle and mugs for tea. She prepared some, and returned with two mugs.

"Drink, while I tell you what I know. Then you give me your report," she said as she returned to the other side of the desk to record notes while they debriefed.

Finn nodded. Rey just sipped her tea.

"So, good news is that things are still functioning up there,” Leia began. “Some minor... _insurrections_ , according to Statura, but with the deaths of Phasma and Hux—which, for the record, I still want to hear from your lips, Major—most of them are willing to cooperate, or at least are saying so. Great thing about the First Order, I guess, is their infrastructure. People are still getting fed, and we haven't had any major conflicts up there that I know of. The bridge is heavily guarded, and we're already moving the higher echelons of officers off for questioning and delivery to the Republic for trial."

“Questioning, like—?” Finn began, looking up sharply.

“Questioning, like _routine_ processing. If they have any useful information they want to volunteer, that we couldn’t get from the _Helldiver'_ s databanks, we’re glad to entertain cooperation. No one’s torturing anyone. You can oversee it if you like, Major.”

“No, I—no. Thanks.”

Leia sighed. "Now the bad news. The _Republic_ wants to handle the stormtroopers, the crew—everyone on that bird. Which is probably good, in the short run, because we have a war to fight and can't worry about thirty thousand personnel who are going to need a lot of care and supervision. So. What I'd like you to do, Finn, is get your team together and draft an SRTF recommendation to the Republic. They're very keen to have your input, actually, and I hope they'll take it. What do these people need, if money and manpower were no object?—and then give them something reasonable, too."

Leia looked up, and put her datapad down.

"And in the next few days I want you and your team to go up and see how many of them actually actively _want_ to join the Resistance, Finn. We could...take on a few that the Republic won't miss, and we could use the help. They’re good soldiers. I honestly can’t get enough of people like you and Sevens. Rey, I’m hoping you and Luke can screen them for any plans for treachery." The general folded her hands. "How does that sound?"

Finn, still a low level of furious at the Republic for taking _so damn long_ to care, and suspicious of their motives in a way he'd never suspected Leia or the rest of the Resistance, frowned briefly before answering. "Is the Republic going to actually _listen_? Or are they just going to take revenge for Hosnia on anyone who they get ahold of? I know they're war criminals, technically, but they can't just treat them like they did anything with full conscious awareness and intent—they're brainwashed."

He wouldn't let them be treated like that—he'd fight the entire Republic if he had to.

"I think the Republic _doesn't_ understand, no. They have spent too long debating whether the First Order even exists, and now they are looking for someone to blame, and finding that they only have themselves, letting this happen under their noses." Leia sighed, scrolling through her datapad. "They are doing...one good thing, and that's forming a committee to 'verify' kidnappings of infant stormtroopers. With the databases from the captured Destroyer, we might have some information to help their search. They hope to reunite families, because that looks good for PR—but it will also lend humanity to the stormtroopers. So they can't vilify them too much."

Leia waited, but Finn only nodded.

"Will you write me that report?"

Finn sighed, and Rey reached over to take his hand in sympathy. "Of course, General. I just—I want them to be alright, if they can. I know they did horrible things, but..."

 _But so did I_ , he thought. He shrugged uncomfortably. His concerns were not motivated purely by a selfless desire to do right by the other stormtroopers and by their departed Commander.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I'll get you that report. Maybe Time can help, too, or some of the others."

He drew his shoulders back and sat up straight.

"What else do you need from us?" Rey asked, sensing that Finn wasn’t going to ask. She wasn't entirely sure when they were planning on getting back to Poe, but they could figure that part out later.

"Well, aside from all that—and your debriefs on the mission, which, ah, let’s just say, didn’t go according to what you told me the plan was—and screening the potential recruits will take some time—I do have one more...request."

Leia looked a bit uncomfortable, which was something of a surprise, as Rey still expected _them_ to be in trouble. "What is it?"

"There's a...reporter."

Rey and Finn didn't immediately react, for which Leia was glad: there were some places where their upbringings outside normal society still showed.

"I wouldn't let her on base except she's  a friend to the Resistance, and a friend of Poe's. The Republic wants some stories—ah, 'sentient interest' stories, since so much of what we are and do is classified. And Javos is good. We had her flying for us before she decided she could do more trying to win the hearts and minds of the galaxy to our cause.” Leia took a breath.

"I've agreed to an interview. And she thinks that a story about you three—you four, the family, I should say—would make a good one. The ex-stormtrooper, the Jedi, the pilot-turned-propaganda, and the rescued clone." She sighed. "But I understand if you want nothing to do with this. I can tell her no, or that she can just interview Poe, when he's better."

It felt a little wrong to make plans about Poe when Poe was still in surgery, but it also felt like it might keep him alive, to talk about what he would do after. Leia knew he would love to do an interview for Suralinda.

Rey glanced over at Finn, who gave her an ‘I don't mind’ shrug. "That's alright, we'll talk to her. If you and Poe both trust her, it's good enough for me.”

"For me, too—is she already here?" he asked.

"No, no, she'll be here in a few days. I think she's, ah, giving us time to recruit stormtroopers under the radar. She'll be coming in with the Republic delegations and the doctors we requested. We can replace his hand with only the most basic models here, so we've invited a specialist. Which, since there's good PR in it for him—rebuilding the arm of the man who told the First Order to go fuck themselves, our best pilot, et cetera—he's doing it basically for free. Which is good."

She pursed her lips and muttered, "I haven't had to sell myself for the mission like this in a long time. At least this time there's no gold bikini involved."

Finn and Rey didn't get it, but she chuckled to herself.

"All right. Sometime before Poe’s due out of surgery, I want you to get me an after-action report, call an SRTF meeting, and rest. Do that in whatever order you prefer, but I want it all done. Understood, Major?" Leia stood, and Finn and Rey scrambled to their feet.

"Understood," Finn said, and he and Rey left to convene the SRTF crew. If all went smoothly, then they'd have time to go back to medical and rest while they wrote their report.

And Finn could spend some time coaching himself on remaining calm when the Republic delegation got here, because they had a lot to answer for, but it was also clear that the Resistance needed the help. Leia wouldn't have accepted their presence otherwise. Maybe she would let him yell at them, though, just a little... Enough at least so that they knew where they stood with him, and that he had no intentions of sitting quietly if they continued to act like the brainless cowards they were. Finn didn’t often get violent fantasies that weren’t related to his PTSD, but he was really going to cause a galactic incident if he hauled off and punched one of them for looking at him or anyone else wrong, though, if he didn't exercise some control. _That_ would look great for PR: a former stormtrooper attacking a Republic senator or officer...

But for now, they worked on what they could.

There were two thousand stormtroopers who actively wanted to defect to the Resistance, or the Republic, or whoever would take them—and Rey and Luke and Dr. Lan had their work cut out for them, screening for any attempted double-agents.

Many of the stormtroopers were just content to take orders from whatever regime ordered them, but most were interested in leaving both the Order and the Republic both behind. Rey hoped they would be treated fairly and get to do that, eventually, but there was no way they had the resources to implement that just yet; no way of knowing they wouldn’t find their way back to the First Order.

And then there were the thousand or so—about thirty percent—who were fanatically devoted to the Order. Most of them were killed when they attempted to retake the _Helldiver_ that first day, when Rey and Finn weren't even aboard, and Admiral Statura had had to make the tough call.

He commed the news to Finn personally.  

The crew of the _Helldiver_ —some of them stormtroopers with technical training, some of them pressed into First Order service later in life—posed somewhat less of a threat, but broke down about the same: 30% wanting to join the Resistance, 30% still devoted to the Order, and the remaining 40% wanting to go back to their families or to the Outer Rim away from this mess.

Everything ran smoother when Deeks and the other stormtroopers returned from the Core and could help Finn, Rey, Jess, Luke, and Dr. Lan handle the logistics. They began to hope they might actually get away with this before the Republic delegates arrived.

At the very least the Resistance now had more guns, ships, and supplies than they could use, after relieving the _Helldiver_ of her payload.

So Rey and Finn were kept busy, while Poe was healing.

...

Poe woke to the sound of his own breathing, not knowing where he was, or how long he had been out, or really, what was left of him.

That was what his world was reduced to, now. Breathing. He wasn’t even sure his body was doing its own breathing. It was better than—before, better than the First Order, better than being frozen in carbonite with _nothing_ but his thoughts, but it was still stifling.

Finn—he remembered Finn, and—BB-8 was there… And…Dad? Where was Rey?

Poe didn’t bother opening his eyes. The click of the machines keeping him alive grated, but he could barely move the fingers in his hand— _his one fucking hand_ —

He heard soft footsteps, and heard movement, and felt—someone was touching him. Lifting blankets, arranging wires and tubes.

It took a few tries to speak, and his first attempt was more of a whimper.

“Who’s there?” he asked. He hated that he couldn’t even _see…_

“Commander?”

He knew that voice.

“It’s Dr. Kalonia,” she said softly, fingertips brushing across his uninjured shoulder. “I didn’t think you’d come out of that so soon. We had you in and out of surgery for—several days. How are you feeling?”

Poe didn’t dignify that with comment. “Where’s…?”

“Rey and Finn are here, sleeping. Your father has been by your side the whole time, so I sent him to the mess hall to get some food. BB-8 is here.”

BB-8 hooted softly to confirm this, and Poe managed half a smile.

“I’m going to put a straw to your lips, if you can drink a few sips of water.”

Poe’s face hurt, his lips and mouth and tongue and teeth hurt, but he drank the water. He imagined Rey and Finn curled up together, limbs tangled, and his chest ached suddenly as he realized he would never see them like that again, that he could only imagine...

He turned his head away from the water.

“Commander, can you open your eyes for me?” she instructed next.

Poe actually laughed. A huffing, wheezing sound, but a laugh. “Nothing to see,” he said.

There was a long silence.

“Commander, open your eyes,” she repeated.

It was just easier to follow instructions, so Poe made an effort, blinking past sticky residue to black—

Poe sucked in a breath, blinking rapidly now. “W-wait. I can see—shadows or—” he choked, coughed, rattled something in his chest but he didn’t care. He could make out a vague, dark shape of someone standing over him. “Dr. K, I can—see—”

“Yes, I know, Commander, I _am_ a doctor, please lie back,” she said, and there was a hand on his chest. Poe went still. “The blindness from carbon freezing is temporary, so we’re just about past that, and we found a treatment for that ray blast that the First Order used on you. All your pilots have made a full recovery, and I expect you will, too.”

Poe was squinting and blinking now because tears were blurring what little definition he had to his vision. He was going to _see_ again?!

“Thank you,” he sobbed, before he knew he was saying it.

“Easy, Commander. I’m sorry for not starting with that. You should regain full visual acuity within another week or so, so relax.”

He heard her sigh: “The rest of your body will take longer. You had a lot of internal bleeding and we replaced your left kidney and part of your large intestine. We had to implant three durasteel plates and nineteen screws in your pelvis alone—more in your leg, and I dare say your shoulder will need some. You have seventeen breaks, most notably your left leg, right arm, and collar bone. We had to shave your head to deal with a nasty gash—Rey is quite cross with me, but it couldn’t be helped. We’ve got you on antibiotics for the pneumonia from all that water you inhaled. To be perfectly honest, Commander, you getting back to us alive was the miracle. But, you did, and though it will take some time, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make a full recovery.”

_A full recovery._

Nothing else really registered, except that he was now apparently sporting more hardware than Darth Vader.

Poe realized that she was still calling him ‘Commander.’ He was still a Commander.

“The dentist can see about the teeth you lost whenever you’d like. We’ve also got a specialist on the way to get you fitted for a mechno-arm, once you’ve healed a bit more, and we can begin surgeries in your shoulder at that time. We’ve got that arm in a stasis unit right now, so we can save as much as we can around the elbow. But I’m confident you’ll be as good as new.”

“A…specialist?” Poe didn’t know why he fixated on that. He was overwhelmed.

“Yes. A cybernetician. The General said to spare no expense. Personally, I’m grateful to you. We might even get a proper bacta tank.”

Poe licked his lips, his breath still coming in desperate gasps, like he was trying not to faint. “You mean I’ll be able to—fly—?”

“ _Yes_ ,” she said, sounding a bit like she thought he was very dim.

Poe smiled, even though his lips still hurt. He was definitely tearing up, even though that made his vision worse.

Dr. Kalonia, if she was even looking at him anymore, pretended not to notice.

“So,” she added, and her voice might have sounded playful. “Does this mean I can expect you to be a model patient for once?”

“Yes,” Poe said, lifting his head to look at the Kalonia-shaped shadow. “I—I won’t—give you any trouble, I s-swear.”

Dr. Kalonia snorted. “I’ll believe it when I see it, Commander.”

“N-no, I mean it,” Poe said urgently, almost deliriously. “Tell me what I—need to do. I can drink more water? PT?”

Dr. Kalonia was definitely laughing now, and a hand rested on each of his shoulders. “Rest, for now. And keep resting. Don’t push yourself, Dameron, I mean it.”

“O-of course. Promise.”

“And I’ll need you to be honest with me.”

“Absolutely. Yes.” Gods, this woman was giving him back the _sky_ , he probably owed her a life-debt.

“Are you in any pain?”

“No, I’m f—” Poe began, automatically, but shut his mouth with a click. Dr. Kalonia seemed to find this amusing. “I mean—yeah,” he said, almost sullenly. “I’m—I feel—kind of exhausted, actually. Dizzy.”

“Close your eyes. Let them rest,” she said, and laid something heavy and soothing over his eyes. “I kept you awake for too long as it is. Are you cold, or warm?”

“Cold. And—thirsty?”

She held the water up to his lips and Poe drank his fill this time. He felt immediately warmer, as the bed or the blanket or both heated up, and he sighed. “Thanks.”

“I’m going to increase your nyex drip slightly, just to help you to sleep,” she explained, and though Poe ground his teeth slightly at that (which hurt), he didn’t say anything. “Rest.”

Poe nodded, but that made him feel dizzy, and then he was floating.


	2. Chapter 2

They had taken to keeping Poe company in shifts, and it was oddly like when they'd kept Sam company in shifts, with only occasional (conscious) overlap. Finn and Rey got used to only sleeping together for a few hours at a time, and to shifting to curl against or around the other in their sleep.

Since they missed the first time Poe woke up, they were both so disappointed that neither of them would consent to sleeping again until they saw him awake. Luckily, it took hours, not days, and they were both in the room—talking idly about the likelihood of being allowed to slap each and every member of the Republic delegation for taking this long—and didn't immediately notice the change in Poe's breathing.

Voices woke Poe this time. He even felt comfortable, as long as he didn’t move. Something was curled around his hand, a gentle pressure rubbing back and forth over his thumb. Finn, judging by the warmth of the hand, and the placement of the callouses. A few of Poe’s fingers were in splints, or bandages, and Finn was careful to avoid these.

Finn stopped talking mid-sentence when he thought he felt Poe's thumb twitch.

"Is he—Poe, are you awake?" Rey asked immediately.

"I think his thumb moved."

[Friend-Poe's vital signs indicate that he is most likely awake] BB-8 hooted from the floor.

Poe made a noise, which was the best he could do. _Was_ he awake? That seemed like something of a stretch.

"Oh, sweetheart," Rey said, running her fingertips over his spiky, short hair. His head felt warm, and his breathing sounded wet. Like he needed the pneumonia on top of crashing his X-Wing.

Ugh, he was hot now, delirious with it, and wanted to kick off all the blankets, but there was no way he was going to even ask his legs to move, so he just made another noise, this one closer to words, and then:

"Rey," he rasped, frowning, and then finally, like an afterthought, opened his eyes.

He could only see shadows, still, and he squinted at the familiar, comforting shapes. His lips twitched into a smile. They were _here_. He was here. It almost made the hurt and heat recede a bit.

"Love," Finn said, melting completely when Poe actually managed something of a smile, and, "Poe," he added, but words weren't enough. He wanted to take him in his arms, curl up with him and Rey and convince himself that this was real, but that was out of the question until Poe was better. Instead, he sniffed and leaned forward to kiss Poe's hand, which was the closest uninjured part of him.

Rey, too, bent to kiss his forehead.

"There you are," she breathed, as if she hadn't dared to believe it until just this moment.

"Do you want some water?" Finn asked. He couldn't hug Poe, but he could make sure he didn't get dehydrated. And with Rey still very gently running her fingertips over his fuzzy scalp, it was only a matter of time, probably, until Poe drifted off again.

Their kisses felt like they had healing powers, and part of Poe wanted to ask them to kiss him everywhere just to check. He gave a weak cough, and started to nod, but _ow_. "Please."

A straw brushed against his mouth and was guided past his lips: they closed around it and he drank gratefully, washing the taste of gross and blood and hospital and _ugh_ he must have been intubated at some point because that definitely tasted like cheap lube.

"Too warm," he finally managed, blinking his eyes closed and open again. The fever combined with not really being able to see was a strange experience.

"The water?" Rey said, then, "Oh."

She folded down the blankets, brushing her fingers over his chest. His core  _was_ warm.

Poe didn't think he was wearing anything under the blankets but bandages, but he wasn't shy. Not really. Still, he had to ask, "How's it look?"

"You'll have some very dashing scars," Rey teased gently.

Finn let go of Poe's hand for a moment to touch unharmed skin that peeked through bandages at his waist. Poe twitched, vaguely, like it tickled.

"Shit, you're right, he's going to be even more handsome," Finn said in mock disappointment. He offered Poe some more water, his other hand still resting on bare skin. Warm bare skin—fever-warm. "Cool enough now? Kalonia said you might run a fever for awhile, but not to worry unless it goes higher. BB-8’s keeping an eye on you.”

"Hear that, Hot Damn-eron? Keep it under control," Rey said, and both she and Finn laughed like giddy children.

Poe cracked a real smile at that, and as much of a huff of a laugh as he could manage without hurting himself, but he sighed out, feeling—better. They might be lying to him but gods, he _was_ vain, wasn't he?

"You guys are teasing me," he said, and grinned until his mouth stretching across his teeth found a sharp edge somewhere, and he stopped.

"Hey, you guys, uh… Are _you_ doing okay?" He wondered if they were hurt and he just couldn't see. He wondered who had been there to take care of them. He wondered how long he had been gone—and then pushed it down: he wasn't prepared to know that right now.

Finn smiled and tried not to roll his eyes—of course Poe was concerned about them.

"Yeah, buddy. We are now. No major injuries to report," he answered, his voice breaking a little.

"I’ve got a concussion. And I hurt my leg. But they're both healed now, no permanent damage done," Rey added. "And Sam is good—he's grown so much! And he makes a lot of noises that almost sound like words."

"Your dad says he's a quick learner—plus your family talks a lot to him," Finn said. Kes had said there were a handful of other kids that Sam seemed enamored of, but Finn couldn't remember whose kids they were, or even which side of the family. Finn hadn't met them yet. "He should be back soon."

Rey moved to settle very carefully on the edge of the bed, turning up the blankets from the bottom so she could rub his feet.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" she asked softly. She was watching Poe's face so closely she didn't see Finn watching, and missed the soft smile he gave them.

"You can have more water, or some of this juice Kalonia brought in. It's meant to be easy on your stomach," he offered.

Poe was concentrating on trying to see, and they were going quite fast—probably, to distract him, which he appreciated—but,

"Wait," he said, going back several statements ago. "Sam is—"

 _Sam has grown so much_? It hadn't been more than a couple of months since he last saw him! How fast did kids grow? Unless—

"How long was I _gone_?" he demanded, eyes open, the world suddenly icy clear.

"Aaaand that's where that conversation is going to stop," Dr. Kalonia said, bustling in and checking the monitors.

How did she do that? Wasn’t she supposed to be sleeping?

"No debriefing. I'm not even allowing the General in to _see_ you for two days, understand, Commander? I don't need my patient worrying."

Poe grunted and tried to lift his head, and actually succeeded. "Your patient is freaking out because if you won't tell him that means it's bad. _How long_?"

“Poe…” Finn looked uneasily at Rey, and they both looked at Kalonia for permission, unwilling to do anything to compromise Poe's well-being, even if he demanded it. She pursed her lips and scowled, but she didn't shake her head or tell them again to stop.

"If you get freaked out, we're turning on cartoons and that's all we're going to talk about for the next two weeks," Finn said, and gave this a moment to sink in before adding softly, "You were gone almost two months."

Two _months_ , no, that was—that was wrong, stupidly wrong, it was—two _days_ at best, how could he still feel so shitty if he had been gone two months? 

"Finn," Poe said, trying to peer at them, to see their _faces_ , gods. Did _they_ even look the same? "Rey?"

Two months? So, _four_ months since he had seen his son? 

"Stars, loves, I'm so sorry," Poe said, and tears rushed scalding down his face.

"Oh, Poe, shh," Rey said, folding over him, laying a soft hand against his shoulder and kissing his temple. "It's not your fault, love, hush."

"I-I know I just—" Poe said, and he might well have had a freak out, a tantrum, except he was so tired. As it was, he sobbed weakly into Rey’s neck, glad for the space to just cry into, emptying everything into it.

"I'm sorry you...had to...that I...gods," he swore, unable to fathom it. He couldn't even imagine what that would be like, if Finn or Rey had been the ones lost instead. No wonder Dr. Kalonia didn't want to have him briefed or debriefed. He could barely handle _that_.

Finn stood and leaned forward to put his arms over Rey and shelter both of his beloveds as much as he possibly could.

"It's okay, we're okay. We're here, and we'll be okay," he hummed, and lifted Poe’s hand to plant a kiss on his knuckles.

Eventually, Poe's breathing steadied, more exhausted than over it. 

When Rey sat up, she took a soft, clean bandage and touched it to Poe's cheeks, brushing the tears away before the salt could get in any of his wounds.

"It's alright, love. Shhh, sweetheart," Finn told him, running a hand through his hair.

"Are you two okay?" Poe asked again, and this time it took on a very different meaning. 

Rey nodded. "Better now that you're here."

"All better," Finn agreed. 

Poe nodded, beginning to relax again, before,

"Oh _gods_ I missed the wedding! I missed our wedding!" Poe cried, and was so startled by the thought that he choked and started coughing.

"No, Poe! It's okay, it's not a big deal," Rey tried to backtrack.

"Breathe, Poe. It's okay," Finn said.

The machines bleeped angrily. Dr. Kalonia was already rushing onto the scene with a droid, fitting an oxygen mask over him and propping up his torso.

"All _right_ , that's enough," she said, dialing up the nyex drip again. "Listen to me, Poe, I'm going to need you to relax or I have to send Rey and Finn away, see?"

"N-no. Please," Poe gasped, not sure how much got out past the mask. "Sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't. I-I'm okay. I'm sorry."

"Okay, love, okay. You listening? Breathe with me, sweetheart. Just like old times, right?" Finn said, and he put his hand over Poe's again, where he could rub a soothing rhythm over his thumb. "Alright. In—two, three, four, out..."

Finn coached him through this until the machines had stopped screaming at them. Rey moved back to massaging Poe’s feet so he'd know she was still there, too, and shifted to get out of Dr. Kalonia's way.

"He's going to get sleepy in another minute or two," she explained quietly, and Rey nodded acknowledgment while Finn continued breathing for Poe.

Poe managed a few wheezing breaths in this manner, clenching his eyes shut. Oh, gods, if he thought he was in pain before, coughing added a whole new level to that. But Rey and Finn were here, and—and, he kept telling himself, nothing else mattered. He was here. They had survived. And he would have to have lost several more limbs, including his dick, before he would have traded places with them. Two months...his _wedding_...he wondered if they had gotten married without him. He decided not to ask.

Once Poe had quieted somewhat, Finn stopped counting and sat back down, though he didn't let go of Poe's hand.

"Sammy must be huge," Poe muttered, eyelids drooping. His voice was muffled by the mask. "D-don't—I mean, you can stay, can't you? I'm sorry I...freaked."

"Yeah, of course we'll stay. We'll be right here when you wake up," Finn told him while Rey and Dr. Kalonia had a whispered conversation. Rey returned and sat in Finn's lap, eliciting a small 'oof' and a brief but unenthusiastic frown.

"And if you're very good, maybe we can convince Dr. K. to let us show you new _Clone Wars_ episodes. They came out awhile back but we only just got them," she told him. His eyelids were so heavy that she couldn't resist giving each a kiss to help him to sleep.

"Sammy is going to lose his tiny baby mind when he sees his Papa," she said fondly.

"Yeah?" Poe said, with a shy grin. It felt good to plan things for when he would be able to see again. Though a part of him was worried the kid wouldn't recognize him, he added, "It'll be good to see Sammy."

Poe sighed and leaned back.

"Love you guys," he said, and let his eyes drift shut, soaking up how good it felt just to be near them and to hear them. Maybe he could feel the Force, just a little bit, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please accept this slightly shorter chapter as we get back on schedule...


	3. Chapter 3

For the next several days, Poe mostly slept, his body trying to repair the damage done by the crash and not helped by the First Order. Finn and Rey did paperwork, or slept, or began to screen the stormtroopers coming off the star destroyer to join the Resistance—but the rest of the SRTF team were trying to take care of the bulk of it so Rey and Finn could be with Poe. Not that Poe was very good company. Sometimes Poe almost seemed awake, but he wasn't always especially coherent.

Sam was mostly being cared for by Breha while Kes was drafted into helping with the sudden influx of people, but today, he sat in Kes’ lap poking at a holopad, since he was awake and in need of entertainment, and medical rooms were decidedly boring. He was quite familiar with them already.

Rey was sleeping in a chair, Finn was working on a new report for Leia on the stormtroopers, and no one noticed when Poe stirred.

No one, that is, except baby Sam.

Without any sort of warning, Sam looked up as movement caught his eye. He let loose a high-pitched screech at the same time as he leaned forward so suddenly he nearly pitched face-first off Kes' lap.

Papa's eyes were open, and he moved! Sam fussed at the arm around his middle and reached arm and nubbin toward Poe.

Poe still couldn't see very well, so when he opened his eyes to vague blurs of shadow and dim color, he sighed, and went to close them again—but his _ears_ worked just fine, and the screech was so recognizable that Poe knew instantly who was here with him. It was followed by a "Whoa!" and a spilled mug of some kind of liquid and a string of swears in Yavinese.

"Dad? Papa, is that—is _Sammy_ here?"

"Poe, son, you're awake!" Kes said, moving to sit closer. "You wanna see your Papa, Sammito?"

Sam was screeching like Poe had never heard him screech before (which made sense, gods, the kid was nearly four months older than when Poe had seen him last, it's a wonder he even remembered him), and the brown blob wrestled the darker brown blob back into his lap as Sam screamed again and reached for him.

"Sam, Sammy, no, Papa's hurt, we can't play with him right now," Kes said, as Sam began to sob, and babble—he definitely wasn't at the _babbling_ stage when Poe last saw him—

"Baba! Baba!"

"Sam? Sammy, baby, gods," Poe gasped, and coughed a little. "Is he _talking_? Tell me I'm not dreaming this. Dad, Dad, it's okay, you can set him by me, please, let me hold him," he begged, moving his arm to create a space next to his side.

Rey, meanwhile, snorted awake to Sam's screech and toppled off her chair to the floor, while Finn leapt to his feet in alarm and then blinked owlishly.

"Ow. Sam?" Rey asked as she got to her feet. Then, realizing Poe was awake, "Poe!"

She grinned widely at her flailing son as Kes settled him very gently next to Poe. Sam patted Poe's chest, punctuating each pat with "Bababababa."

"Sammy, Sammy," Poe said, curling his broken arm around his son and pressing his lips to his fuzzy skull, "easy on Papa, huh?"

He broke into a small sob, his heart breaking at the possibility that he might have never seen Sam again.

"My boy, my sweet boy. Oh, gods, he's _heavy_! When did you get so—no, no, don't take him," he said, as Kes went to lift him off. "He's fine. He's so good. Oh, Sam. Oh, my little buddy."

Rey smiled at Finn and moved around the other side of the bed while Kes arranged them a bit more comfortably, such as easing the oxygen cannula away so Sam wouldn't be tempted to tug it.

"He's sitting up now with help. And he mostly sleeps through the nights. I, ah—this is the first thing that sounds like a word, though," Kes chuckled, and Poe actually dropped a tear on the poor kid's head.

Sam reached up to grasp Poe's chin. "Baba,"

"Yeah, buddy, that's me. That’s so good. Can you say Dada? Mama?"

"Mumumm," Sam mimicked.

Now it was Rey's turn to startle, and nearly almost start crying, too, because that was _her_ name!

Finn, who had no pretense to machismo and for whom tears were an act of rebellion against his upbringing, had no problem weeping openly at the sight because somehow, against all odds, here was his family, safe, together, _home_. He hiccuped and went to join them, pulling the chair up next to the bed and accepting a pat on the cheek.

"What are you all crying for?" Kes asked them, to get a laugh, though his eyes were bright with unshed tears himself. "Poe, how you feeling, son?"

"Great, perfect," Poe said, kissing Sam's head, and then Finn's hand as he ran it over Sam's head. Then he rallied (after everyone laughed), and started running a self-diagnostic.

"Uh. Teeth feel good?" he said, running his tongue over them. He barely remembered the dentist coming in and taking advantage of how heavily drugged he was to fill in the teeth that had been broken in the crash.

"Well I'm glad they _feel_ good, because they used the squash-colored paste to fill in your—"

" _Dad_ ," Poe said, but he was grinning. "I'm kinda hungry? Can I have food?"

"I think we're up to broths?" Kes said. "I'll check. How's the eyes?"

"Still blurry. So, an improvement on you, old man."

Kes laughed, which Sam thought was funny, too, and he started gnawing on Poe's chin.

"Oh, ugh. Gross, kid."

Finn laughed and rubbed Sam's back. "Sammy, sweetheart, maybe no."

But Finn didn’t actually stop him, and Sam was undeterred.

"Ba. Ababa," he said, and reached up to touch Poe's face with his nubbin. "Baba."

Now that he could say the word, it seemed this was all he wanted to say. Or maybe he'd just really missed Poe and was making sure he knew. Whatever the reason, he was peering solemnly into Poe's face, and then he smiled brightly.

"Who is this little man sitting on me, huh?" Poe wheezed, rubbing his nose against Sam's, and then falling back, exhausted. He squinted up at the three of them, not sure if he could tell if blurry shadows would lie to him: "Are we on Yavin?"

Kes laughed. "You can smell it, can't you?"

"I mean, it mostly smells like hospital. But the grav feels right." Poe sighed, relieved. "Can I talk to the General yet?"

"I thought you wanted to eat," Rey said from Poe's other side. Sam, though still very content to sit with Poe, looked at her and made a grab for her hair. She tucked the errant strand back behind her ear and said, “No, Sam.”

"I think Dr. Kalonia gets the final say on that,” Finn said.

"The final say on what? Oh, hello, Sam. You being gentle with your papa?" she asked the baby, and he cooed at her.

"Babababa," he told her, and she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, really?" she asked.

"Ba."

"Very good. Carry on, little one. Now then—how are we feeling, Commander?" she asked Poe as she began checking lines and fluids and machines that were tracking Poe's recovery.

Poe smiled, beyond proud that his kid was talking—had a _name_ for him, for crying out loud, he would have given both hands for this honor. "I'm a little hungry. Starving, actually."

"That's good to hear. We can go with soft foods and broths, though, for now, I'd like to start light. Your body is accepting the synth organs for now, but let's give that new intestine a chance to get used to things before you introduce fried frog..."

"Aw, see, I was fine until you said that, and now I want some," Poe huffed. "Hey as long as Sammy's here, I'm golden."

"Hear that, Finn? I guess we're chop liver," Rey teased.

"Guess so!" Finn laughed, which delighted Sam. The baby looked around at his three parents and his grandfather and giggled, especially when Finn tickled his back. "Okay. I'm going to go get us food. No parties while I'm gone."

He kissed Poe gently before he left, because he could.

Poe sighed and leaned into the kiss, letting Kes adjust Sam against him so he wasn't whacking stitches.

"The General's okay, right?" He asked after a minute. He hadn't seen her yet. "My—pilots? How's...Karé?"

After giving Finn a kiss of her own on his way out, Rey settled back down on the edge of the bed.

"The General is fine. And everyone who made it back alive is either still healing or mostly healed. Deeks just started flying again—other than you, he was the worst off," Rey answered.

Across the bed, Kes chuckled.

"That kid is giving Connix a run for her money," he said. Since they'd shown up on Yavin, Kes had gotten to know some of the people who associated closely with Rey and Finn. In spite of his injuries, Deeks had been as enthusiastic as he ever was, which had proved challenging to keep him quiet while he healed.

"Connix loves it, don't be fooled," Rey laughed, and then played with the edge of a blanket. "Karé is...okay. She'll be so glad to see you awake, but she’s been by a few times. We all three were kind of looking out after each other, you know, after."

In the immediate aftermath of losing their partners, all three had found themselves leaning on each other—and occasionally, though she was more private with her grief, Coni had joined them. Mostly, they'd tried to get drunk. Sometimes they'd told stories, or cried, or just sat lost in their own thoughts. But they'd sat together, which had been the important part.

Rey felt more than a little guilty that she hadn't seen Karé much since they'd rescued Poe, even if the pilot had insisted she was perfectly alright.

"Can I see her? Karé, I mean, unless—" Poe's throat felt thick. He still blamed himself for Iolo's death, even if she didn't. "If she doesn't want to."

He turned to Dr. Kalonia, peering at the white blur of her lab coat. "Can I see the General?"

"I can page her," Dr. Kalonia said, after a moment.

"Please. I'm ready—I mean, maybe after I eat. I want to see her. And I'll answer anything. And I want to know what the hell's been happening around here." Poe gave Sam a squeeze, feeling like he could handle any news now.

Rey reached across to touch Poe's hand and smiled when he looked at her. "Karé doesn't blame you, Poe. I mean it. She'll be overjoyed to see you."

She had been among the first to volunteer for the rescue mission, before they decided it would only be Rey and Finn going. And every time she saw Rey, she asked first how Rey was doing, and then how Poe was doing. He was still her friend, whatever else had happened. That much she'd made very clear.

Poe smiled, even though his lip wobbled. He missed Iolo, and if Karé was mad at him, even a little, for his death, maybe he wouldn't have to be so mad at himself for it. Iolo's death was the First Order's fault, and, honestly, Iolo's fault, because he had chosen to die protecting all of them. But it didn't make Poe any less angry at himself.

"Okay. Can I see her? After the General?" Poe huffed as Sam gurgled and grabbed at his face. "Maybe the kid'll soften her up."

"Yeah, I'll go find her as soon as Finn gets back with food," Rey answered.

From Poe's other side, his dad cleared his throat softly and touched Poe's shoulder.

"I know that look, hijo. It's not your fault—or his. It's not the General's for sending you or Rey's for not sensing the trap or your pilots' for leaving when you ordered them. It's the First Order's fault. Don't do that to yourself," he said solemnly, brushing his fingers gently over Poe's skin.

"What do you know, Papa," Poe said, slightly embarrassed, but smiling.

"Ah, listen to this kid. He thinks I was a farmer all my life," Kes said, but leaned in to kiss the top of Poe's head. "You're okay, mijo. Isn't he, Sammy?"

Poe huffed, but smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Papa. I...I know."

Kes had lost people, too. Everyone had lost people on this mission—that happened months ago, now, apparently. It had been long enough. He wanted to deal with this now.

Rey smiled across at him and rubbed her hand over Sam's fuzzy head. He responded by grabbing at her arm—at least, he tried until he realized it would be easier to wrap his tiny little fingers over his papa’s arm. Rey chuckled as he drooled happily and patted the arm he had discovered.

"What do you think, little one? Butter Karé and the boss up for your papa?" she asked him.

"Ba!" he responded, and he looked up and waved his arm up and down in enthusiastic participation (even if Rey was pretty sure he had no idea what he was participating in). Rey gave Poe a reassuring smile. They'd deal with the messy business of healing hearts soon enough.

But first, food.

Finn came back not only with broth, but with well-wishes from at least a dozen people. These he delivered happily as he swung open the door, only to find that there was some kind of solemn moment going on and he was barging in on it like a bantha in a crystal shop.

"Oh. Um. Sorry... I have food?" he said from where he'd paused in the doorway, and held up the bags of food a little sheepishly. "Everything okay? Everybody between here and the mess hall says hello. So does everyone working in the mess hall. And Jess and Snap want to know when they can come see you."

"Please," Poe said, squinting at the shape in the doorway like it might focus his vision, but apparently he needed a few more days until his sight was back to normal. "Tell everyone I said hi, and they can see me—whenever. Tomorrow, maybe? However many visitors I'm allowed, you know. Food first, though?"

Sam screeched and flapped his arm, grabbing Poe's chin and granting him a wet kiss. "Does he need to be fed, too? I'm glad to keep holding him. I might be able to manage holding a bottle?"

Rey jumped up. "I'll go make one," she offered.

Finn smiled and started pulling things out of bags. First was warm broth for Poe, but he'd also brought bread with honey and some soup for the rest of them. He picked up Sam— "Just for a second, Poe, he's going to get broth everywhere," he said when Poe tried to stop him.

Sam was not even a little pleased by this development and started screeching, much to Kes' amusement, and he kept screeching until Finn rocked him and he apparently realized he wasn't being taken from the room.

"All right, son, open up, before I make X-wing noises."

"Don't you dare," Poe said, as Kes sat close and opened up the broth bowl.

"Zrrrrrooom pew pew pew!" Kes cackled, driving the spoon towards his mouth.

"I hate you, and those are terrible X-wing noises," Poe said, but suffered himself to let his father spoon-feed him. "Just don't let the General see me like this."

Both Finn and Rey laughed at this, and for awhile everyone settled down to eat (or be fed, in the case of two of their number). Finn was still holding a bottle for Sam when the General knocked at the door. He leaned over and opened it when he realized she wasn't just going to knock and enter.

"Dr. Kalonia paged me," she said, and then she looked at Poe and smiled. "It's good to see you awake and eating. You had us concerned," she told him. Kes, who had sat back when she knocked, quietly put the lid back on the bowl and stood to offer Leia his seat.

"Are you up for talking?" Leia asked as she sat down.

Poe sat up a little straighter, which was hard to do in a bed.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, with a small grimace. "I, ah. Can I know how everyone is? They said you were hurt, and Rey, but they won't tell me much."

"And this is why we didn't want you debriefing," Kes said, pushing him back to the bed, from where he had apparently tried to sit up.

Poe sighed and leaned back as pain caught up with him.

"Sorry. It's—weird not being able to see," he said in his defense.

Leia smiled, though he couldn't see it. "Well, you've missed a lot.”

Poe sighed. "So I figured."

"I'll send you a list of who we lost," she said, starting with the worst. "There shouldn't be any surprises for you, except—we lost Ackbar."

"Fuck! You’re kidding!" Poe shouted. The heart monitor started wailing and Dr. Kalonia arrived in a harried rush. She gave the General a withering glare. Finn glanced uneasily around at Rey and Kes who both shrugged, not sure what to do. It wasn't as if they could protect him from bad news forever, or even until he was better. He'd stress out about it until then anyway, which was hardly better for him than getting upset now.

"Hey, Poe. Here, hold your kid," Finn suggested suddenly, and approached to set Sammy back down next to Poe. He was warm and sleepy, having just eaten, and he nestled against Poe's side as best he could, his tiny hand curling tightly in Poe's shirt.

"I—that won't help, I— _how_ ?" Poe said, though he welcomed Sam into his arm and held him tight. "Ackbar was _on base_!"

He protested shrilly, but quieted when Sam fussed in his arms. The boy was oddly good at this, and cooed adorably once Poe had quieted: clearly his son could work a dayjob as an emotional support animal, at least until he was walking and talking.

Leia took another deep breath. "We found the spy. It was Major Brance—"

"Kriffing _Brance_?!" Poe cried. He had never liked the guy, but never once suspected him. Some spy he was.

"Poe, if you can't calm down, I can't keep talking to you," Leia said evenly.

"Also, language," Finn said, mildly serious. "If he's going to be talking soon I don't want him to hear that filth."

Poe rolled his eyes, but that got him to stop.

"Brance killed Admiral Ackbar and Major Ematt before we could stop him—"

"Oh, _gods_ ," Poe groaned, but quieter this time.

"—and injured myself and Admiral Statura _and if you interrupt me again_ , Commander, I'm leaving you to _guess_ what happened, are we clear?"

Poe fell perfectly silent, punctuated be a meek nod.

After a moment, to be sure Poe really was going to be quiet, Leia continued.

"We have some new pilots and new ships. I'm still not entirely sure he acquired them by legal means in the strictest sense of the word, but Lando assures me that no one will come for them, which I suppose is the most I can reasonably hope for from those rogues," she said, equal parts fond and exasperated. "Wedge, Luke, and Chewie have been up to their elbows in ship parts repairing and upgrading everything they can."

Rey had a fleeting thought that she was missing something spectacular—but probably not as spectacular as Poe being alive and awake. She could help Luke and Chewie work on ships another time.

Poe let out a small yelp, unable to contain it, but this was a different kind of excitement. "You don't mean—Wedge _Antilles_ ? The greatest fighter pilot who ever lived? He's _here_? And Lando-as-in-Calrissian?"

He turned to Finn for confirmation, feeling a bit faint.

Finn smiled, unable to help himself.

"Yeah, they're both here," he verified.

Rey snorted softly and he looked over at her.

"Wedge is a curmudgeon. And Finn and Lando nearly came to blows.”

"Okay wait, that's not fair. We had no idea who he was and he just showed up," Finn said. And they hadn't nearly come to blows, they totally hadn't.

"You definitely yelled at him right before he left to get help."

"He was _leaving_! And he kept calling me 'son,' and he wouldn't take command when I needed him to," Finn complained. Leia turned and looked at him mildly. He hadn't told her about their disagreement, or about trying to put Lando in command. "Wanted him to. I was upset."

" _You_ were in charge?!" Poe cried, though this wasn't actually all that surprising or even startling, and he did the rank math and realized, yeah, Finn was the next-highest ranking officer. "Wow, honey,  no wonder we made it out of that one."

"He was great," Rey agreed, hooking an arm through Finn's. "He kept us all together."

"Okay, but, like, I still need Wedge Antilles' autograph," Poe said. "And Lando Calrissian, that's insane. Mom told me stories about them. I might have met Lando when I was little."

Poe sighed and settled back.

This was too cute to be borne, Finn decided, Poe's excitement at the presence of Lando and Wedge, and Sam's gentle swaying as he tried to stay sitting up against the inexorable pull of a food coma. It was too cute, and Finn went to Poe and very gently put his arms around him as far as he could without hurting him.

"I love you so much. I'll drag Lando over here so you can meet him," he said, and kissed him on the forehead. Then he straightened and smiled wryly. "He rescued Deeks. I thought the kid was going to have a heart attack when Connix told him.”

"I can just imagine. 'He's the guy who destroyed the second Death Star, you know, right?'” Poe chuckled. “Deeks is doing okay, then? Anyone else miraculously rescued along with me? How did you guys even _find_ me?"

Poe was growing a little tired, but not ready to give up just yet. Anyway, he was probably past freaking out, so that was good, right?

But then everyone had to go uncomfortably quiet again.

"Kriff, what happened?" he demanded.

Finn looked at Rey, who stared at the floor, and then at Leia and Kes. Since neither of them seemed about to speak up, he shrugged one shoulder managed a few words.

"There was a...a holovid. Of you, that they sent us—sent out over the net, actually," he said uncomfortably. He didn't want to think about it. It was bad enough that he couldn't ever un-see it, and that it kept creeping into his nightmares. "Please don't ask to watch it."

"A...holo?" Poe asked. That wasn't very specific, so Leia filled in:

"From the First Order. They tried to paint you as a terrorist, blame you for Hosnia. They overreached, clearly—there actually may be an inquiry when the Republic gets here, but I certainly won't let it go anywhere—"

"The _Republic_?!" Poe cried.

Okay, so he wasn't beyond freaking out, though it was beginning to take a lot out of him.

This time it was Rey who stepped in.

"Yes, the Republic. Now calm down. The General definitely told you not to interrupt, and if you won’t listen to her, you had better listen to me," she told him, and her tone left no room for argument. Snuggled now against Poe's side, Sam whined at the sudden volume. "Also, you're upsetting Sam.”

"No, I know, I—I'm sorry, I just mean—the _Republic_ is finally stepping in? I mean that's huge. That's great! Inquiry away! I'm due a court martial for desertion, I guess, so if they could schedule it around deciding whether I'm a terrorist or not, that'd be swell," he muttered, and then laughed, it was so absurd. "I kinda want to see this video. Did they make me look scary? You know, badass?"

"Poe, you were drooling blood on yourself the whole time. No."

"Oh, was that what Hux was doing? When he—he, like, questioned me? Weirdly?" Poe wondered idly, and gave a small shudder, just imagining that man standing near him. It felt like yesterday. Why didn’t the First Order ever do _normal_ interrogations? "Stars above, that Hux guy is twelve kinds of crazy."

"Was."

" _Oh_? Well, you guys saved all the good news for last.” Now his eyes were definitely drooping.

"Yeah. Phasma killed him," Finn said.

“ _What_? Whoa…”

"I guess there were lines not even Phasma was prepared to let them cross,” Finn said. He watched Poe for several quiet moments, unmoving, wondering if his fiancé would fall asleep without realizing it.

"Sam might have the right idea, you know," he commented, and Rey chuckled softly.

"Naptime," she said fondly, because the baby was out cold, his mouth pursed in sleep.

"Phasma?" Poe sighed, nodding. The world was beginning to swirl out of focus, like his brain was leaking. Was he dreaming this? Or was this the fever, still?

"Okay, I'm awake. Wanna see Karé," he insisted, blinking carefully, like that would help. "You know I think my eyes are getting better...instead of a big dark blur there's a big...light..."

But then Poe's nose dropped against Sam's head, and he was asleep.

Leia grinned at Rey and Finn and Kes. "He's had a busy day?"

“If by busy you mean he’s had his eyes open for about twenty minutes in one go,” Kes said, rolling his chair over to rub Poe’s feet.

BB-8, plugged into the monitors, was happy to report that Poe was sleeping comfortably and his vitals were all within acceptable ranges.

"But, in case you wanted to know, _they_ haven’t slept in a proper bed in two days,” Kes said to Leia.

Leia considered them, glad for the reveal. “Is that so?”

“No,” Finn protested, while Rey grumbled at her _tattle-tale_ future-father-in-law: “You have such an honest face.”

“I mean, not _really_ ,” Finn corrected. “We needed to be here, for Poe.”

“Well, now you have been. I can look after him for eight hours. I managed about seventeen years,” Kes said. “To bed with both of you."

"But—Kes, it's the middle of the day..."

"And I'm sure the General—" Finn began.

"Has nothing else for you to do for at least the next eight hours, if not longer?" Leia asked. "You heard your father—go get some rest," she told them, and then nodded to Kes. "We'll keep watch. Go now—that's an order."

Rey was surprised to find herself suddenly kicked out of the room with her son and fiancé in it, without her say! She huffed and turned to Finn—but immediately softened. He looked tired. Maybe about as tired as she felt.

"I—guess they can take care of them for a few hours," she hedged. "We could go sleep in the _Falcon_. It's quiet there. And we'll know if anyone arrives."

Finn blinked in surprise, but he _was_ tired. Having finally spoken to an awake Poe, he had run out of excuses to put off sleep. And Poe and Sam would be very well-watched-over by Kes and the General, so it wasn't like they _needed_ to be there, even if it made Finn squirm a little to let Poe out of his sight. He sighed, but Rey was right. It would be easier to sleep on the _Falcon_.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess we should. It's certainly more comfortable than sleeping here," he admitted, "And they'll be able to comm us if they need us."

Rey nodded, masking a yawn as she led Finn to the _Falcon_ , leaning on him heavily.

"We can brush our teeth and take a fresher in the morning," she said, pushing Finn down on the bed, divesting him of belt and shoes before crawling on top of him and curling up on his chest. _Love you_ , she hummed, without using her words.

 _Love you too_ , Finn responded, and he rested his arms gently over Rey's back to snuggle her as best he could. He tipped his chin forward to kiss her shoulder before letting his head drop back to the pillow. He'd missed being this close to her out of desire rather than desperation. Rey's weight on his chest was heavy and warm and relaxed. If he was especially lucky, he wouldn't even have nightmares about not getting to Poe in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, we hope you'll leave us a comment below! And if you do, you should consider joining the [SWWA Comment Bingo Game](https://starwarswritingalliance.tumblr.com/post/164113801687/do-you-like-to-read-fanfiction-do-you-like), going from August 13th-August 27th. The winner gets a ficlet prompt filled by the SWWA Command Staff, so it's worth playing!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back in "Give the World to You," [wolfishpennings](http://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfishpennings) guessed that Kix from Clone Wars might show up, and later gave us some great ideas as to how that might happen! So, never think that your comments don't matter—and, by the way, the SWWA Comment Bingo game is still going on! ;) 
> 
> Check out Kix's wookieepedia page for what the heck he's doing in the TFA timeline (which I believe [Starbird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineasako22/pseuds/starbirdrampant) also helped us understand).

"They're almost here," Rey said, making a face. "Apparently I have to go meet them, too."

It was several days later, and they were in Poe's room.

He was sitting up, now, with help, and his vision was almost back to what it was—Dr. Kalonia laughed at his constant "It's still blurry!" complaints, telling him, "This is how most humans see all the time"—and he was awake to play with Sam while everyone else welcomed the Republican delegates.

"Now, you sure you'll be okay?" Kes asked, laying Sam out on Poe's chest. The baby was sound asleep. "I don't need to go."

"Dad, it's gonna be, like, less than an hour. I can wrangle a baby until then," Poe said, glad to have something to do—and even the prospect of a few minutes alone wasn't awful. He wouldn’t even be alone, he told himself, rubbing Sam’s head. "Anyway, kiddo needs to sleep so he can be awake when the doc comes to look at us, huh, Sammito?"

Finn smiled and rubbed Sam's back, then leaned over to kiss Poe.

"Dr. K. said if that goes well, maybe she'll think about sending you home soon," he told him quietly, so as not to disturb the child sleeping on Poe's chest.

They were just so sweet...

"What if I just stayed here?" Finn asked, for what might have been the hundredth time. He had no desire to meet the delegation, much less pretend he didn't want to kick them all into the next galaxy.

"Finn," Poe said sternly. "If anyone _has_ to go, it's you. Go out there and make sure no sleazy politician takes your Troopers away from you, baby.”

He gave Finn an encouraging grin.

"Here, now, we're not _all_ sleazy," Lando said, leading Leia in on his arm.

"Yeah, the honest ones get eaten alive by those sarlaacs," Leia muttered, but if she was actually nervous, no one could tell.

Rey bent to kiss Sam and Poe, and adjusted her robes again.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart," Poe told her. "Stop fussing."

"I know I look beautiful. But I'm _uncomfortable_. It's too...too many layers," she complained. "I don't get why I have to look like a Jedi."

"It's in case there's pictures," Luke told her, as he, too, entered the room. "We want the galaxy to see you as the Jedi you are. To give them hope."

Poe looked around himself and grinned up at them. "Now if I didn't know any better, I'd say you all were stalling and hiding in here. Would it help if I went into cardiac arrest so you don't look stupid for loitering in here?"

"Don't even joke about that," Finn said earnestly.

Poe checked the chrono.

"Get out there, all of you," he scolded, punctuated by a small cough from speaking quicker than his lungs wanted him to.

Finn wrapped his arms as far around Poe's shoulders as he could and held him for a moment before stepping away.

Since Lando had Leia on his arm, and Luke was entering with Rey, Kes and Finn would enter last. Finn had argued that there was no need for the formality of entering in some predetermined order, but had been silenced by a stare from Leia. He'd kept his grumbling to a minimum after that.

"Alright, alright. Let's go," he said with a long sigh, and gestured for the others to lead the way.

"It's practice for our wedding!" Poe called, and relaxed back against the bed with a wince.

[Are you alright, Friend-Poe?] BB-8 hooted from under the bed, and Poe dropped a hand to his droid. They had lowered the bed so BB-8 had better access to his master, and Poe could see his droid without straining.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Bee," he said, glancing sadly at the wires sticking out of his poor neurotic droid. "You know we get to put in a new chip soon. Maybe get it hooked up into the mechno-arm, that'd be pretty sweet, huh?"

BB-8 wiggled. [We could have a secret handshake!] they cried. [Sam, too.]

Poe smiled. "Sounds good. I'm in."

...

Outside, several Republic cruisers were landing, escorted by shiny new T-80s that had all the X-wing pilots jealous.

Leia had let go of Lando's arm and strode several paces ahead of everyone. She now had a pink scar running down one temple, and she braided her hair so it was obvious. Rey thought she looked very regal, and very fierce.

Five figures strode across the hangar towards them, in some order of importance, followed by guards. Leia recognized Javos immediately—and she was carrying a holorecorder, but was clearly waiting for a word to begin filming.

She also knew Major Deso—Admiral, now, if her reports were accurate. She would probably be butting heads with him, if Poe's assessment of the man was anything to go by.

The woman out in front was Amilyn Holdo, the newly elected First Senator, wearing ornate robes and a striking hairstyle.

The tall, thin Chiss with long dark hair tied back into a ponytail must be the doctor—even though he was wearing designer clothing and nothing like a Doctor's robe. She was supposed to trust her best pilot to this clown?

The last man she didn't know: but she definitely knew his face.

_A clone?! How? He looks so young!_

Seeing her start, Lando leaned forward and down. "A clone only recently pulled out of stasis," he informed her quietly. "I believe his name is Kix, and he now holds the rank of Colonel."

"I can read a godsdamned rank bar, Calrissian," Leia growled, but managed to smile when they were in earshot, and she dipped her head in a bow. "First Senator. Admiral. Colonel. Welcome. Javos, good to see you again."

"Good to see you, too, ma'am."

Finn eyed the newcomers with what he hoped was less distrust than he felt. They all appeared to be very typical politicians—even the doctor, which made Finn grind his teeth.

At first he thought they'd brought a guard with them, just one, which made zero logical sense but wouldn't have shocked him, but then he realized the man in the military uniform had the insignia of a Colonel. Also, he looked familiar, but from long before Finn had joined the Resistance. His face had been in training videos and old posters, here and there and ubiquitous enough that even now, Finn wasn't initially shocked to see him.

Then, of course, he realized who the face belonged to, and _that_ was certainly unexpected. Where had the Republic found a _clone_ trooper? And _how_?

Kes elbowed Finn gently in the side and he realized he was kind of gaping at the clone Colonel, which was embarrassing.

"I have a meeting room prepared, unless you would like some time to rest from your journey," Leia said, though a glance up at the fancy yacht told her the journey was by no means a hardship. "We can also offer a tour of the fleet and our facilities."

"I'm not sure that will make a difference for the proceedings," First Senator Holdo said. Rey instantly got a sour feeling about her—like she disdained Leia, for whom everyone else held so much respect.

"With all due respect, Senator," Admiral Deso said. "Myself and Colonel Kix here might benefit from such a tour."

Deso turned to Leia, declining his head. "I have heard much about you. I hope you have been keeping Commander Dameron and Rapier Squadron well.”

This didn't have the desired effect, of course, because though it was kind to reach out, Leia gave him the truth in turn:

"Thank you, Admiral. You'll be glad to know we won't need to court martial Captain Iolo Arana and several other defected pilots, as they've been shot down by the First Order you deemed to be no threat."

Deso dropped his head, chastened. "No court martials will be held. The Resistance will be considered a full branch of the Republican military—"

"Let's not be hasty, Admiral," Holdo purred pleasantly.

Deso gave her a look, and didn't acknowledge her comment.

"I wish Commander Dameron a speedy recovery," he finished, by way of apology. He didn't dare look up to meet Karé Kun's eyes from where they bored into him from the line of pilots at parade rest.

"I'd like to see my patient," the doctor said smoothly. "Presumably this will also be a good photo opportunity?"

"It'd be nice to get a shot of the General and First Senator shaking hands, if that's all right?" Javos ventured.

"Major Finn," Leia said suddenly. "I'd like you to take Dr. Ori to see Commander Dameron, via a tour of the grounds with the Colonel. Master Skywalker, with me. We will discuss future arrangements with the Republic. If you'd like a photo op, Javos, that's now. I'm not sure how much longer the First Senator and I can keep smiling at each other and _mean_ it."

Finn agreed. This was going to take far more patience than he thought he might have. The General, at least, seemed to have a similar amount of patience, and no time for making them feel better about themselves.

Finn stepped forward and nodded to the doctor and the Colonel, face still impassive.

"This way, Doctor—Colonel," he said, and nodded toward the base entrance. He found himself annoyed to find that he actually agreed with the First Senator on one matter—he didn't see how being part of the Republic military was necessary or even a very good idea. He was happy to take orders from Leia, most of the time, but he had no desire to take orders from someone who controlled a massive fighting force, who he'd never met and who wouldn't recognize most of their soldiers on sight.

And if the doctor just thought this was just to make him look good, a nice photo opportunity to promote himself without so much as acknowledging his two patients, Finn was going to punch him—after they got what they needed from him.

Rey shuffled quietly along behind Luke, not expecting to like watching this play out—but maybe they were needed. She _was_ getting good at mind tricks...though maybe doing that to the First Senator would be a bad idea.

As soon as they were dismissed, Karé ran to the hospital wing and all but crashed into Poe's room. He looked up from where he had laid Sam out on his knees, still sleeping.

"Whoa, Kun, where's the fire—?" Poe started to ask, but she went to his bedside and grabbed the edge.

"Deso's here. He's an Admiral now."

Poe whistled. "Really?"

"He's not going to court martial anyone, he said. Not even a trial." She sat heavily. "The General brought up Iolo..."

"Aw, Kar. Come here, buddy, bring it in," he told her, and they embraced, gently, and tried not to cry. "You know, I still haven't forgiven him for Muran—"

"No," Karé said firmly, drawing back. "I don't want that bullshit. The First Order killed Muran. The First Order killed Iolo. Not their commanding officers. Not you, and not Deso. Even if Deso is a coward and a cretin."

Poe clenched his jaw. "I just...Arana was protecting—"

"I know." Karé lost a few tears. "He was protecting all of us. Don't cheapen that sacrifice by letting Deso take all the blame. Or yourself."

Poe nodded. He missed the crazy Keshian, and couldn’t imagine Karé’s loss, squeezing her hand as carefully as he could with his broken fingers. "Why'd you tell me, then?"

"I was hoping you'd take five to one odds that Statura outright punches him before the end of the day."

Poe laughed aloud until it hurt, and BB-8 beeped an alarm. "Oh my gods, you trying to kill me, Captain? Statura is an honorable and level-headed man—"

"...You still have a crush on him, don't you?"

"—Shut up, I'm happily affianced." Poe winked. "I'll take the bet. If Statura decks him I will be _so_ glad to give you all my money. Do I even have money? I was presumed dead for a while. We'll see how much cash my dad will let me borrow."

"Maker, you're such a loser," Karé laughed. "Anyway, Finn and the Doc'll be here shortly."

...

"So you're Major Finn, the ah, 'storm' trooper who broke First Order conditioning, right?" said the Colonel as they waited for the Doctor to stop flirting with a gaggle of pilots. The doctor seemed—overly-friendly, but not exactly smooth about it.

The Colonel, on the other hand, seemed honest and straightforward, interested in other people who were also honest and straightforward, and entirely annoyed with the cybernetician. He also tripped over 'stormtrooper,' like he had only learned use of the word in the past year or so. He didn't seem much older than Finn, but seemed much wiser, like he had been through several wars instead of just the one Finn knew historically he had seen action in.

"I'm Colonel Kix, CT-6116, I served as a field medic for my squad in the Separatist Rebellion. Er. Clone Wars."

Finn kind of liked his accent.

"I am still...troubled by what my brothers’ legacy has become in this day and age. And I am very impressed by all I've heard about you. Your troopers, their testimonies. I was...moved." He seemed like he was someone who was not very practiced at expressing himself, but was giving it a concerted effort.

Finn couldn't tell if Kix was genuine, or if he was trying to lull him into a false sense of security so he wouldn't explode when the man tried to take over responsibility for the stormtroopers.

"They're a good team—good for each other, good for the rest of us... Hell, we wouldn't be here today without Timons," Finn answered.

The doctor was certainly taking his time, and Finn grumbled, annoyed. "They're very well-adjusted compared to most of the others. They need time, and some help."

He wasn't sure if he was saying this out of warning or because this man was probably going to take command of the troopers who hadn't joined the Resistance or been taken straight to prison, and Finn desperately wanted them to be taken care of.

The Colonel nodded.

"Of course. I—" But he was interrupted as the doctor returned to them, loose and unpredictable, like he was either drunk or—or he was like that normally.

"Okay! What are we waitin' for?" he asked jovially, and Kix and Finn cast each other a look before Finn began leading them through to their medical wing.

"So you're the dad, right?" he asked, thumping Finn in the chest. "The clone dad? I'm sure Kixy and the kid here will have plenty to talk about."

Kix looked pained at the nickname, but managed to keep it together enough to ask: "The child's name is Sam, yes? A genetically unmodified clone of—you? I'm not at all surprised the practice fell out of favor after the war, and surprised that the First Order have resorted to it."

"Okay! Two mechno-arms, coming right up, baby, and they're as good as whole again,” the doctor said, as though Kix hadn’t spoken. “You're married to the pilot, right? I could give him a bigger cock while I'm at it, you know."

The doctor shot finger guns at him, and then laughed. "I'm totally kidding, man. Just, you know, wanted to let you know it's possible. You want a bigger one? Ha! Got you again, I'm joking with you. Where's my patients?"

"I'm running out of my patience," Finn heard Kix mutter, out of earshot.

But Finn's patience had officially been exhausted. With a low growl, he stepped around in front of the doctor so suddenly that the taller man ran into him. Finn didn't so much as wince, though the doctor practically bounced off of him, he hit him so hard.

"Doctor. Let me explain some things to you, as you are clearly unfamiliar with the manner in which one should conduct themselves on a military operation. First, this man's name is Kix, if he says you can call him that, or Colonel if he says you can't." He glanced at Kix before taking another step to loom into the doctor's space. "Second, I am not your friend. My fiancé is not your friend—either of them. You are here to do a job, and it will go easier for you while you are here if you don't annoy half the base."

Finn was probably going to get in trouble for this little outburst, but the doctor actually looked startled and he went quiet, so Finn was willing to accept that.

"And finally—listen very carefully—if you _ever_ use that kind of talk around my son, or if I even think you're going to, I will throw you out faster than you can blink." He allowed the slightest smile into his face, but it wasn't entirely pleasant. "Do I make myself clear?"

For an instant there was a spark of recognition, or fear, perhaps—maybe a decent person under that too much genius and too much privilege—the doctor's blue skin tinted pale, and then he recovered.

"Of course, of course, sorry, I hang around surgeons all day, what do you want from me but rusty manners? Of course. Colonel, apologies over a drink maybe?" If Finn's lecture had made an impression, it didn't show much, though his apology seemed as genuine as everything else. "Let's go see my patients, and I mean it, clean talk in front of the kid, promise."

The doctor skipped ahead and then stopped at a piece of medical equipment. Instantly fascinated, he said, "Well looky heeeere…”

Finn rolled his eyes and walked past the doctor, reaching out to grab his sleeve on the way past.

"If you mess with any of Doctor Kalonia's stuff, she's going to make me look like an annoyed kitten," he advised the man. And honestly, there wasn't a lot _to_ Dr. Kalonia's equipment. Most of it was still hand-me-down or salvage, exactly what you'd expect of a well-organized but not entirely legal resistance movement. But it was hers, and it was serviceable, and anyone who made it otherwise, accidentally or not, had hell to pay.

When they reached Poe's room, Finn knocked and then swung the door open to admit himself, Kix, and the cybernetician.

"There's the man of the hour!" The doctor exclaimed, bursting into the room so that Poe and Sam—also Karé was here—both turned to look at him sharply.

"And hello, who have we here?" he added, going immediately to Karé and offering her a hand. "My name is Dr. Rok Ori—friends call me Rokko."

Poe gave a short, surprised laugh, and had to backpedal slightly to explain. "Sorry, I—I have an oddly high percentage of friends named Rokko. Didn’t think it was that common a name.”

"I'll, uh, leave you to it," Karé said, only too glad to extricate herself from the situation.

"Whoa, that's wild, man! My tattoo artist is named Rokko, too! Crazy popular name, huh?"

"Wait, Rokko on D'Qar III?" Poe exclaimed, and for a loud minute the two men laughed and reminisced about their mutual acquaintance and tried to determine who had seen her more recently.

(Just in case that was still a secret, Poe didn't mention the tiny stormtrooper still on Endor who also took the name.)

"Finn, this guy's crazy, where'd the General find him?" Poe laughed, trying to hold his ribs in place while he laughed.

"And who's this cute fella?" the man asked, plopping into Karé's seat so he was eye-to-eye with the baby on Poe's knees.

"This is Sam, and he doesn't want any siblings, I think, because he's kicked me in the crotch about seven times since he woke up," Poe said.

" _Noice_ , buddy," Dr. Ori laughed, tickling Sam's tummy.

"But yo, I can totally fix that, if you're worried," he told Poe, who laughed again, surprised.

"Uhh, I think I—am probably fine? But thanks?" Poe glanced at Finn for a little help, and for the first time noticed the Colonel standing next to him. "Sir, hello, excuse me for not getting up—"

Kix held up a hand. "At ease, Commander. From what I hear it's likely I won't outrank you for long."

Poe stared at him.

"Uh, excuse my forwardness, sir, but are y—"

"Yes, I'm a clone. Stasis pod. Uh. I'll tell you about it sometime. But I believe we're here for an important reason, to get you back in the skies, Commander."

"Yeah," Poe gasped, eyes sliding back to the animated Chiss, who was still playing with Sam. "What's the verdict, Doc?"

"Well, Sam here's a perfect fit for our child mechno-models. They're so awesome, everyone’s gonna be jealous. And I'm gonna need gloves and shit before I open this bad boy up, though," he said, motioning to the device that housed Poe's injured limb. "Oops! I mean 'crap'. Sorry, kid."

Finn gave Poe a look that was very much ‘how can this man possibly be a doctor’ and then pressed the button to page Kalonia. While they waited for her, he picked Sam up to get him out of the way, and also because the baby looked about as baffled as Finn felt, and he couldn't tell if Sam was amused by the newcomer, or if he was about to start shrieking. When he looked over at Kes, the man raised his eyebrows.

When Kalonia arrived, she was all business. Finn wondered if Karé had warned her, or if she already knew of Dr. Ori. Either way, she looked like she was already out of patience.

"Dr. Ori. We appreciate your being here—I'm Dr. Kalonia," she told him. "I imagine you would like a look at Commander Dameron's arm."

She held out a box of gloves.

"Great, thank you, Dr. K.," Ori said, snapping on gloves.

"It's an older model, so you have to—" she began to explain, but Ori had already figured the machine out, and slid it off of Poe's shoulder painlessly.

"Ugh," Poe said, almost turning away at the first sight of his arm: pale and atrophied, sticky with old bacta foam, and missing from just below the elbow. It made him feel sick just looking at it.

"It's okay, you're okay, champ, we are looking good," Dr. Ori coached, his voice taking on an almost tender tone, entirely transformed.

"Just as I thought," he said, making a visual assessment first, moving the limb very little before using the scanner Dr. Kalonia offered him. "Yeah, we've got enough ligament damage, we might do better attaching it from the elbow. I suppose no one kept the hand?"

It was a good joke, but Poe only managed a green-looking smile.

"Just joking, baby, you're doing great, my man. We can work it up through the shoulder, actually, anchor it down, since you're all torn up up here, too, yikes. I'm counting nineteen breaks in the arm. Look at this stud, acting like it's nothing…”

Finn marveled at how gently the doctor suddenly was encouraging Poe—was this really the same glory-hogging moof-milker who had just gotten off the Republic yacht?

“So we could replace the whole arm if you just wanna go crazy, or I could work the cybernetics into the upper arm and shoulder, a little more of a natural look. And of course we've got the synthetic skins, those are getting better all the time. I hear I get to play with Luke Fucking—er, I mean, _Freaking_ —Skywalker's mechno arm, too, if he wants?"

"You're here for the Commander first," Dr. Kalonia reminded him.

"Oh, this is two days' work, tops—we can get the kid an arm in an afternoon. I'm gonna be so bored. Gonna have to chop my own arm off just to get some action, am I right?" Dr. Ori said, closing Poe's arm back up in the stasis unit. “That’s it, baby, way to go. You gonna be alright, buddy? Maybe some water?”

Poe shook his head, mouth still closed.

"I'm sure if you're that bored, Doctor, we can find you something to do,” Dr. Kalonia said firmly, apparently not quite as low on patience as Finn had thought, or at least oddly tolerant of the other doctor's abundant quirks. There were plenty of other injured and sick people he could help with.

Still, he had been so nice to Poe, so Finn guessed he might not throttle him yet. When he glanced to Kix, the other soldier just looked bemused at the strange dynamic—a feeling with which Finn had complete sympathy.

Poe swallowed, considering it a personal victory that he hadn't puked at the sight of his mangled arm—for the first time, he could now be grateful for his temporary blindness.

“Or we could offer your help to the locals," Dr. Kalonia continued.

"Yeah," Poe managed. Medical care on Yavin IV was still somewhere between the Core's SciTech and the Ewok's witchdoctery, honestly—or it was a dozen years ago, anyway. "Maybe you can replace my Nana's hip while you're at it.”

"I am at your service," the doctor said, bowing with a flourish, and then he plopped down in the seat beside Poe and pulled up his datapad. "Let's talk _design_ now. Hey, weren't we supposed to get the reporter in here?"

"Reporter?" Poe asked nervously. "I don't think..."

"Well, it's nice to see you, too," Suralinda Javos said from where she was leaning against the door, and Poe relaxed.

"Javos, stars and skies, it's good to see you again," Poe sighed.

If Finn had needed any reassurance that Javos was good people, Poe's reaction to seeing her would have put his heart at ease. He gave her a slight smile in greeting as she entered the room and went to shake Poe's hand and pull him into a half-hug.

"See you've finally settled down," she told him, and turned to Finn. "Congratulations on pinning Dameron down—accomplishing what no one else ever could!"

"Ah, I had help," Finn said shyly.

"Oh, I already gave _her_ my sympathies. She's something, your Jedi. Pilots the _Falcon_ , finds Luke Skywalker, and becomes a Jedi, all before the age of 21? And doesn't seem to fully realize what a big deal that is." Javos shook her head in disbelief. "You three will certainly keep me busy writing."

Javos looked around her.

"Hey, Colonel, how come you got to hang out with the cool kids while I had to watch the General exercise a truly astounding amount of self-restraint in not knocking the First Senator into next week?" she asked Kix.

He rolled his eyes at her good-naturedly.

Finn realized that they must have been around each other long enough to at least be friendly acquaintances—another mark in both of their favors.

"We still have a bet going on Statura vs. Deso," Poe said, and then clapped a hand over his mouth, remembering he was still in the presence of the Colonel and the Doctors. But Dr. Ori, for his part, laughed aloud at that.

"Man, I wanna see that!" he said. "Are you gonna film that?"

"I mean, I just got here, and I haven't seen Poe in a few months, so give me a break," Suralinda said easily, and the doctor let this roll off his back like he did everything else. She grinned at Poe. "You look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark.”

Poe shook his head with a smile. "No way. You should see what the arm looks like inside the case," he said. "You look good, though. Journalism finally drew you back? We missed you."

"Yeah, and I missed getting shot at. Oh, no, wait, it was the other way around, I was _happy_ not getting shot at—quite as often. There was a story with the Hutts last month where I got into some hairy situations, but." She huffed and smiled at Poe. "Something tells me you're not gonna be short on pilots any more. Can I photograph you?"

"Shit, Javos," Poe whined. "Look at my hair! I look like I just got out of a POW camp or something."

"We can work angles. I mean, and if you got a nice undercut or something, it'd probably look really trendy."

"You think?" Poe wondered, eyes going to Finn. "I mean, I don't mind pictures. Whatever you think people want to see—if me looking pathetic will help unite people against the First Order, whatever..."

"You're very good at _pretending_ not to be vain and macho," Suralinda said, squeezing his hand. "Just trust me. Now, who's this little bundle of joy?" she said, turning to Sam with a big smile on her face.

Sam wasn't the least bit confused about how he felt about Javos. When she bent to his level to say hello, he cracked a wide grin and reached for her hair, babbling in happy non-language.

"This is Sam. He's ours," Finn said.

"He looks like you," Javos said.

"That's because he is. Me, I mean," Finn responded.

"Javos—you know this already. I'm sure we've talked about the clone baby from the First Order," Kix said gently, and Javos paused thoughtfully before her face lit in recognition.

"Oh! This is _him_! I didn't realize—but how did you come to be his family?" she asked Finn. He hugged Sam a little closer.

"It's not a very happy story. But I'll tell you later if you'd like to know," he said softly. Everyone was quiet for a moment—even Dr. Ori, perhaps sensing that now was not the time.

It lasted only a moment though.

"He's going to need an extra awesome arm for that extra awesome story—whatever it is. You too, hero. So—we want to start with mechanics, or appearance? Please tell me you're going to let me do something exciting, rather than that boring synth-skin stuff," he said, already opening a dizzying array of pictures and schematics.

"Um," Poe said, dizzied by the wide array of choices. "Uh, I think, skin is good?"

Dr. Ori seemed a little disappointed. "Man, I thought you were cool just because you have tattoos. Okay, but _surely_ you want various attachments. I can give you a dataport just like your droid, you know—an open panel..."

BB-8 whirred to life.

[Yes! He needs a vitals tracker!] the droid exclaimed, spouting off various specifications that even Poe didn't fully understand.

"Please tell me you understand Binary," Poe laughed, “because I’m not sure I caught all that.”

"You kidding? This little guy's the first person I've met who speaks my language! You want me and your droid to design your kick-ass arm? I can do you a laser cannon, a bottle opener, you name it—and my mechno-arms are smarter, stronger, and faster than anything on the market. In the human arm we have a delay, right, from the brain to the limb—but not with these babies, no, sir!"

Dr. Ori surprised everyone by putting his leg up on Poe's bed, pulling up his trousers, and opening up a panel.

"You think I was joking about cutting off my own arm, but, well, I'm so confident in my product that I voluntarily tried it myself, and let’s just say I had to quit my marathon career because I kept kicking so much ass. Butt," he corrected, with a glance at Sam.

Poe, eyes wide, had to laugh.

"Okay, maybe not—I don't need lasers or anything but—whatever BB-8 wants is probably a good idea? An open-access panel for mods? And—I wouldn't mind being able to beat my wife at arm wrestling occasionally," he said with a wry smile. Poe turned a pleading look on Finn. "Please don't tell her I said that.”

" _Occasionally_? My friend, you could crush a diamond in your palm if you didn't mind scuffing the synth-skin," Dr. Ori proclaimed.

"Tell her what?" Finn asked innocently, "But also, please learn how to keep it from crushing things before you try arm-wrestling Rey. She needs that arm to fight Kylo Ren."

"Oh, don't even worry about that. As soon as we calibrate it it'll be just like a real hand. Shouldn't take more than a couple days to learn your strength!" Dr. Ori said, and leaned down to talk to BB-8 about the design and what Poe's new arm did and didn't need.

Finn left them to it and turned to Kix.

"I think I'm supposed to give you the tour, and Sam could probably do with the walk," he said.

"Leave the kid, I need to get his measurements," Dr. Ori called. To Suralinda he added, "You'll want to get pictures of that, he's gonna be really stinking cute. Or—I can do those later," he corrected, and waved a hand. "You can go."

Poe flashed Finn a slightly worried look, but smiled at him and nodded as he took Sam.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Suralinda told Finn, her smile revealing rows of sharp teeth, and Finn had to wonder which ‘him’ she meant. 

"Have fun?" Finn asked more than said, and nodded to Kes and Kix, who were talking softly while waiting for Finn to be finished.

"I think I'll stay here, if you don't need me to come along. Or maybe I'll go by the mess and see about bringing some food back over here for these three. Kix, good to meet you," Kes said and shook the clone's hand warmly. Kix smiled and turned to Finn.

"I'll follow your lead, Major," he said as he and Finn stepped out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depending on how many spoilers you're keeping up with for _The Last Jedi_ , "First Senator Amilyn Holdo" is our prediction of what the character portrayed by Laura Dern will be about—she'll be no less noncanonical with the release of the movie than anything else we've written, so we're just having fun at this point. 
> 
> As always, we hope you'll leave us a comment below! And if you do, you should consider joining the [SWWA Comment Bingo Game](https://starwarswritingalliance.tumblr.com/post/164113801687/do-you-like-to-read-fanfiction-do-you-like), going from August 13th-August 27th. The winner gets a ficlet prompt filled by the SWWA Command Staff, so it's worth playing!


	5. Chapter 5

Finn led the Colonel down the hall and back out to the barracks, tucking Sam up against his shoulder so his son could observe the world as it passed and wouldn’t fuss while he spoke with the Colonel.

"Can you tell me a bit about yourself, Major?" The clone asked. He wasn't actually as interested in seeing the base as he was interested in talking to Finn. "You didn't give a testimony to the Republic in person, but I've read your reports. I, ah—it sounds like we may have had similar backgrounds."

Finn shrugged, having his own doubts about the similarity of their backgrounds—the clone troopers at least hadn't been stolen from their families and brainwashed. But the Colonel would need to know about the differences between him and his brothers and Finn and the other troopers, and if Finn wanted to look after them, this was as good a place to start as any. He began, “I don’t think so.

"I was taken by the First Order in a kidnapping raid when I was an infant. I was raised in a cohort of other kids roughly my age, and later on we were split into smaller teams. We were discouraged from forming the bonds you'd ordinarily expect of a group of soldiers, and we were to treat anyone or rank or lower as expendable. Anyone who fell behind was supposed to be left behind," he said. Unspoken was that this did not, of course, apply to the very highest echelons of command. He paused as they reached one of the barrack pods.

Keeping Sam carefully close, Finn shouldered the door to the barracks open and stuck his head inside to see if anyone was about before they entered. The base was more spread out here—where the desert of Nkllon had required all the buildings to be as close to each other as possible, if not attached, here they had taken advantage of the open space and their modular buildings. Instead of being arranged in straight, organized rows, what was left of the barracks after their hurried evacuation had been arranged in a circle around a center courtyard. The missing modules were being replaced with temporary buildings in the local Yavinese style, with the amused assistance of locals. When fully functional, the courtyard would be isolated by the buildings on all sides, affording the inhabitants extra privacy.

It felt, in short, a lot more like home than their previous bases.  

There was no one here right now, though, and Finn gestured the Colonel inside. "We slept in barracks in the First Order, too, but not like this. You couldn't tell one group's quarters from the other, or one bed from another," he told him, and nodded to the center courtyard, where someone had left a pair of boots half-cleaned and leaning against a low woven chair. Finn suspected the Resistance fighters in this group had been teaching the ex-troopers about campfires, given the ash in the center of the yard. "It's not quite so regimented here...especially since we got to Yavin. The ex-stormtroopers keep their quarters a lot cleaner than the Resistance fighters, and so far they've preferred to bunk with other ex-stormtroopers, so the General has let them." But they were still neighbors and shared the same common space, one group learning to be comfortable with mild disorder and the other group learning to pick up after themselves to an acceptable extent. It wasn't without its problems and personality conflicts, but so far the senior officers of the pods seemed to be handling everything.

The Colonel nodded, taking this all in. Sure, he certainly wouldn't call his upbringing 'brainwashing' like some of the ex-stormtroopers had said, but he was trained a certain way, and _bred_ a certain way, and that was beginning to leave a sour taste in his mouth, the longer he was away. But what he said was: "I also miss my brothers, still. I'm not surprised that those who deserted would be the same ones who broke the ‘no bonding to other people’ rule. Living in the same bunk makes sense."

He inspected the space, clutter and unmade beds and all. "And this would not have remotely passed muster for a clone barracks, either," he said with a laugh, and they left the barrack to walk around the compound.

"So. What can you tell me about the troopers—the stormtroopers—who didn't join the Resistance voluntarily and that I’ll be taking charge of? What do they need?"

Finn took a deep breath and then sighed. He’d been giving this a lot of thought of late, worrying at it until Rey and Poe noticed and once again instituted a rule about bringing work home.

"They were brainwashed—we all were. It ‘took’ better for some than it did for others," he said first. This was the crux of it, really. "They'll need time, somewhere relatively safe and structured to work through it, and people to work through it with. Trained professionals, most definitely. They're going to need patience and understanding. None of us really knows how to be normal, and the ones who were most comfortable _trying_ to be normal joined the Resistance, I think."

He looked down at his feet as they walked, watching the ground pass away beneath his boots, and occasionally he looked at Sam: imagining the future his son had almost had, but for the grace of the Force. Sam, for his part, watched the base as they walked, and sometimes patted Finn’s cheek as if to reassure him.

"The nightmares and flashbacks are difficult. Sevens—they needed to organize things, and still do when they get worked up about something, because it doesn't occur to them to just talk about it. I’ve forgotten who I was and attacked Poe—BB-8 helped stop that just by being there,  by being incongruous with where and who I thought I was, and once or twice with his tazer attachment. Tova and Nova had a thing about shields, and they were wildly over-protective of each other, and not always good with authority unless they liked you..." He missed those two and their antics. _They'd been doing so well..._ He sighed sadly, but tried not to dwell on it. Besides: "And Deeks...well, Deeks doesn't really _have_ any weird things, so much as he _is_ a weird thing. He’s probably been the most resilient, but he’s also our youngest. He adapted quickly, and really well, but I shudder at the thought of not giving him something to be responsible for, because he'd probably find less helpful ways to use all that energy and cleverness."

He chuckled and shook his head fondly.

Kix nodded, smiling vaguely: Finn really did care a lot for his men. That alone would make him respect Finn tremendously. But he was also keenly observant, and dangerously wise. Kix asked wryly, "You’re sure you were never a medic?"

"I was never a medic—I mean, no more so than the rest of us. I learned battlefield medicine, how to keep myself from bleeding to death, that sort of thing."

He shrugged.

"And then I got in trouble for being _too_ quick to use it on my squadmates and watching out for them. Supporting and looking out for my squad is just—it makes _me_ happy. No one told me I had to or anything, and the others have offered to take over, but I _want_ to do it.” Finn looked down at his son, who was getting drowsy against his shoulder. He thought about Poe, who was just about as helpless, right now. He thought about Rey, and how they leaned on each other, as they had in the months where it was just the two of them. Finn even remembered Slip: trying to keep him out of trouble, trying to keep him alive during simulations, and how the pain of losing him in their first battle together—the pain of _not saving him_ —had never really gone away. No reconditioning could ever change this part of him.

“That was their biggest mistake, of course. If not for getting in trouble and being on sanitation duty so often, I never would have known how to sneak into Starkiller." In fact, if they'd just let him be even half of what he’d wanted to be, he might not have left the First Order when he did. He hoped he would have, of course—with or without what had happened to Slip. The problem wasn’t with Slip _dying_ so much as it was the First Order _never letting him save him_. So he had merely shifted his focus to someone who needed his help, who wanted it, who thanked him for it. Who gave it all back in turn and saw past the helmet to the good in him.

And who happened to be good boyfriend material.

The Colonel was staring at him, perhaps guessing much more than what Finn said aloud. "See, I  was a medic. You strike me as the type, is all. The way you care for people.”

They left the barracks and headed around the perimeter in contemplative silence.

Kix thought a lot about what Finn said as they walked. "Do you think they'd feel best remaining as soldiers, or do they need the chance to be something else? Broadly, I mean. Obviously we can present individuals with choices, and—and the ones with you, here, in the Resistance, I want you to know I consider those soldiers accounted for and taken care of. No one's going to take them away.”

Finn breathed an internal sigh of relief that at least he wasn't going to have to fight Kix for the troopers who'd joined the Resistance. He found he didn't want to fight this man, who was as far from a mindless cog in the Republic machine as he could be.

"I think,” Finn started, “until they're used to living outside the First Order, maybe continuing to treat them as soldiers—but the way _we_ treat soldiers, not the way the First Order does—would be best. Once they're showing some adjustment to that, you could try offering them other options, or just exposing them to other things. Here, we put them on rotations and pair them up with volunteer Resistance members or with the troopers who have been here longer, like Deeks or Sevens. I have a feeling one of the best ways to break the brainwashing is going to be experience. It doesn't take long for the lies we were told to start falling apart in the face of reality."

It was good, in a way, that many of the lies they'd been told were so outrageous—the intellectual inferiority of Wookiees, as an example, which was easily refuted by spending a half hour trying to beat Chewie at chess. "I'll help you however I can. I told Phasma I'd look out for her soldiers, as much as I could. Since she sacrificed herself to take out a man who’d casually planned to kill them if convenient, I plan on making good on that promise."

Foolishly or not, he'd given his word, and even though it had been to Phasma, who had been awful in her own right, and frequently cruel, it felt like a matter of honor—something non-existent in the First Order.

"Easy, Major. Nothing is official yet. Right now, I'm supposed to be helping _you_ ,"  Kix soothed. Though the Republic did want him to take this over, Kix wasn't going to dare until Finn gave him the authority. Not if he could help it. Finn looked over at him and gave him a small, quick smile.

"The biggest problem is this: They don't deserve what happened to them, or for their actions to be considered outside of that context. Once they start understanding the real world, knowing what they did will be painful, and probably punishment in and of itself. And while there should be repercussions for what they did, the usual kinds of punishment will make little impression on most stormtroopers." This last point still made Finn squirm. After all this time, he still occasionally expected that he'd be handed down a First Order-esque punishment for his more egregious transgressions. Or, worse, that they'd be given to Poe or Rey. And Deeks still practically cowered when reprimanded (even by Poe, who was a kitten of an officer when it came down to it), and Sevens still got stony silent when they so much as _thought_ they'd done something wrong, prepared to take whatever punishment was meted out with all of their customary stoicism. Timons literally never made mistakes, and Finn wondered how much of her energy went into the effort.

"What do you mean by _usual_? Ours were annoyances—extra KP or late guard shifts. I don't think we're going to be able to give them any shore leave we can threaten to take away, not at first, anyway. Do they fight with each other, or with the people in command? Would they need a cooldown in the brig?" The Colonel suggested.

Finn shook his head—not in negation, but in uncertainty.

"I don't know. Look at it this way: If it was a minor infraction, in the First Order, you'd be on duty for days straight with no sleep, or you'd train until you could barely move. The brig was usually used to hold people until they could be punished properly. Otherwise, there were the real cells—you'd be put in one so small you couldn't stretch out on the floor, and they wouldn't turn the lights off, or they'd turn them off inconsistently. And it was near enough to the engines to be uncomfortably hot and loud.” In other words, for however long they kept you in there, your senses were constantly assaulted—by heat, by noise, by the smell of engine grease and taste of stale, recycled air. He’d had nightmares for weeks afterwards the few times his transgressions had been so egregious as to warrant such a punishment. It was a minor miracle that the smell of engine grease head never given him cause for a meltdown.

He shook his head, clearing it of memory, and continued. “If you did something really serious, the punishment was reconditioning. If any of us who escaped are recaptured, that's what’ll happen to us. Your brain is wiped of everything except your designation and how to fight, and they hope you won't be a problem again."

Finn shivered just thinking about it, about the troopers who'd been caught while escaping, about the possibility of any of his ex-troopers being caught again by the First Order—or of being caught himself. It was possible that a fear of this sort of punishment would make the troopers they'd captured more hesitant to misbehave in the first place, but it certainly hadn't stopped him, or Tova and Nova, or any of the others who acted up in small, obnoxious ways while they tried to sort out where they belonged in the world. And they’d realize quickly enough that most of the punishments they’d been accustomed to were off the table entirely.

Kix winced visibly at Finn’s revelation.

"I'm really sorry I asked," he said. "Reconditioning sounds about as bad as putting a chip in your brain that'll make you wig out and kill all your friends, right, mate?"

He grinned tightly. "Don't worry, got that removed. And _that_ Republic, my Republic, turned out to be...well, like your First Order, I guess, all along."

Finn nodded, giving a weak smile.

Kix shrugged. "Enough corruption at the top makes it rough for us on the ground, no matter what era, no matter who’s in charge. Believe me, I know. Did you ever hear of a General Krell? Jedi general, who—"

"Oh! Yes! He was the _worst_ ! He treated you guys like disposable equipment.” Much the way Hux had treated Phasma’s stormtroopers, in fact. “It was awful! Rey was almost sick when she found out the show wasn't just being dramatic. She didn't realize not all Jedi are like Luke or Obi-Wan," Finn said. They didn't watch those episodes over, ever. "You were so brave, though! On the show, I mean. I know they were all actors, but—well, it had to be based on _something_. They weren't completely making everything up."

"Ah," Kix said, looking baffled, and then he laughed. "Er, what? A holo about...with me in it?"

It sounded genuinely like the first time he had heard of this, and Finn’s face lit up.

"Yeah! Yeah, it's about the Clone Wars. You're in it, and Obi-Wan and his teacher, and Anakin. Lots of people. It's... _not_ exactly a documentary," Finn explained with a nervous chuckle. Now he was in for it. There was no way Kix wasn't going to go watch _Clone Wars_ now that Finn had brought it up. "Most of it is probably really stupid, but it's fun, you know, and sometimes that's all you really need. But um—I mean, if you want to watch it, we have the whole thing. I can pick the best episodes."

"That's...amazing," Kix said with a laugh. "How did no one tell me about this? I’m a little outraged, actually. Could we watch tonight?"

He coughed, then, realizing he sounded over-excited. "Ah. After hours. Or maybe not. Sorry. Maybe it would be weird to have an officer..."

Finn laughed, disarmed by how earnestly excited Kix was. "We can watch it tonight if you want. I imagine if I tell Deeks that the clone trooper Kix wants to watch _Clone Wars_ , he'll round up as many people as necessary to rig up something to watch it in Poe's room—I'd say the barracks, but I think it's against the rules to watch _Clone Wars_ without Poe. And he has missed having lots of people around. Anyway, Deeks'll definitely do it, right after he finishes having a heart attack."

Because Deeks was going to _lose his mind_. It was going to be wonderful. And hilarious.

Kix smiled. He was a _soldier_ , and hadn't taken well to being an officer. For one thing, having his own quarters was desperately lonely—and he did need to meet the other stormtroopers on base eventually.

"That would be great."

…

"Okay, okay, easy," Rey coached, as Finn lifted Poe, still fragile and rather weak, so that Rey could slide in behind him and he could lean back against her.

Poe was clenching his jaw but didn't say anything, and let out a long sigh when he could finally relax against her.

"Ohh. Oh, yeah, that's good," he said. He patted her leg and shifted as much as he was able, and leaned his head back, neck pillowed basically perfectly on her breast. He closed his eyes. "Now don't go anywhere.”

"You can't be tired," Rey said, as Finn lifted Sam from his bed and placed him in her arms. “We have a show to watch.”

"I am. I'm exhausted. That doctor is _exhausting_. Fun guy, but wow."

Rey and Finn looked at each other with twin disbelieving expressions. " _He_ tired _you_ out?" Finn ventured.

"He's exactly like you!" Rey laughed.

"What? Me? I'm nothing like him!"

Finn laughed and sat carefully on the other side of the bed to wait for company to begin arriving.

"Are you serious? Do you want us to give you a list?" he asked Poe, "But it's okay. It's all part of your charm."

He leaned to the side to kiss Poe's hair—it was still short and scruffy. He very carefully avoided Poe's arm as he leaned over, sure it had been messed with enough today. "Did you get everything sorted? Lots of photo opportunities for Suralinda?"

He wasn't sure where the reporter had gone, but she had been gone by the time he returned to let Poe and Rey know what the plans were for the evening.

Poe leaned into the kiss but yawned again. "Yeah, we mostly talked. I think she wants, uh, like, an interview, with all of us, and, you know, get pictures of us all together. Would you guys be okay with that? 'Sentient interest' story."

He yawned again. "We can talk about it. Man, I am not going to last through one episode. Which ones were we gonna show them? Did you guys watch any further without me?"

"Would you be mad if we had?" Rey asked.

"No! I watched them all without you, remember," Poe pointed out, tickling Sam's chin as they both lounged contentedly against Rey.

"We should find some with Kix in them. He was really excited," Finn suggested. They actually hadn't made it many episodes past where they'd left off with Poe. They had tried once or twice, but it hadn't made either of them happy—and they had been so busy—they'd given up after the third try. "Maybe start with the first season? Any of the ones that were really good or that Kix is in. Or both."

"Yeah," Poe said, conferring with BB-8 briefly before they decided on a set list of Clone-centric episodes. They would have invited all the stormtroopers, but Dr. Kalonia had limits to how many people she wanted in her infirmary, and Timons had declined the offer, so it was just going to be Sevens, Jess, Deeks, Connix, and Kix—and popcorn.

"It smells so good, you sure I can't have some?" Poe whined.

"I just brushed your teeth, I'm cutting you off," Rey said, kissing his forehead.

"She's the strict parent," Poe warned Sam, and turned a fond eye on Finn. "Love you."

Before they could reciprocate, it turned exactly twenty-hundred, and there was a soft knock on the door. Sam screeched in excitement to see visitors, and Finn got up to let them in—all right on stormtrooper time. Or, in Deeks’ case, Connix time.

Finn stood back to let everyone enter and pick chairs from the odd assortment they'd pulled in from around medical. Deeks was practically vibrating he was so excited, but he was handling it well, in that he wasn't talking constantly (yet). But his face lit when he saw Poe.

"Hey, Commander! You look a lot better than you did. How're you feeling? Did you get to talk to the doctor guy Leia brought in? He's kind of nuts," he said, unable to keep quiet in the face of this latest excitement.

Connix smiled a fond, borderline dopey grin at him, and went to talk to Rey and Sam. Kix turned to Finn to thank him, almost shyly, and offer another bag of instant popcorn that he'd found somewhere—Finn suspected it had been liberated from the yacht's kitchen.

Jess and Sevens were on time, but only barely, and the door nearly closed on Jess' face before she stuck her foot in it.

"The fun has arrived!! Let's get this party started!" she announced, and Sevens traded a look with Rey and Connix that was no less fond for being subtle.

"Sevens, hey—what's the deal with the common area in the barracks?" Connix asked teasingly. Sevens rolled their eyes.

"I wouldn't know, on account of I've stopped even going near it. Barely controlled anarchy, is what I'd call it," they answered. "I'll make them all clean it up in another few days when I get tired of it. I’m afraid things might start _living_ in there."

It wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility, given the omnipresent population of semi-feral pittins that roamed the vicinity.

"Thanks for coming, guys," Poe said. "Welcome to my humble abode. I'd lend a _hand_ , but—"

It took a second longer than it should have, but that got a laugh, which made Sam squeal where he was now tucked in between Poe and Rey.

"Sorry I can't get up, either," Rey said, exchanging kisses with Connix and Jess.

"Now has everyone met Colonel Kix?"

Deeks rocketed himself to the front of the line, forgetting most military decorum and then promptly realizing he had no idea what to say.

"I—er—It's a pleasure to meet you. Sir," he stammered, and held out his hand. "I'm, um, honored to shake hands with you."

Deeks glanced down as if in disbelief that he was actually shaking hands with an actual _Clone Trooper_. The clones were esteemed by the First Order and Republic both—it was maybe one thing they could agree on. _Meeting_ one of them was unreal.

"Kix, this is Deeks. He was the second to leave the First Order," Finn said, and Deeks looked over at him and grinned.

"Major Finn threw me out of an AT-AA!" he chirped brightly.

"Yeah and somehow in spite of that, _I'm_ the one who ended up babysitting," Jess interjected from across the room.

"You weren't _babysitting_ ," Deeks told her, and she gave him a very nonplussed look.

"Deeks, you ran onto a transport, dropped your helmet, begged them to arrest you, and spent the rest of the flight home either worrying about Finn's health or marveling at his existence," she told him, and he blushed. "But you turned out pretty alright, I _guess_.”

Deeks laughed.

Poe grinned. "And he's turning out to be pretty good behind the yoke."

"I'm gunning for you, Commander!" Deeks told him amiably.

"Bring it on, kid," Poe replied with a grin.

They continued down the line, introducing Sevens to the Colonel, and excusing Timons for the evening.

"And you'll meet the rest of us tomorrow," Deeks reported. "The ones we picked up after Dantooine. They're excited to meet you, Colonel. You, too, Commander."

"Me, too, buddy."

"Anyone want to get anything before we start the holo? I've got a baby to put to sleep, and his name is not Sam," Rey said, getting a general laugh.

"Hey!" Poe cried.

"Okay, okay—everyone find somewhere to sit so we're not tripping all over each other," Finn said as BB-8 cued up the holoprojector. He went back to his spot next to Poe, and Jess and Sevens took the large chair that occupied the corner of the room—Jess sat half in Sevens' lap and settled there quite happily. Connix and Deeks took two chairs side by side and leaned on each other, and Kix got the seat with the best view of the projection.

Just as they were about to start, the door squeaked open and Dr. Kalonia entered, pushing a rolling desk chair. She smiled when they all looked at her quizzically. "It's a new rule—no movie nights in Medical without the doctor present."

She sat, and everyone smiled.

By the end, Poe was proud to have made it through the first episode, and Kix shared his enthusiasm for a second, so they kept going. The way he blushed at the voice acting ("I don't sound like _that_ , do I?") and the dramatic monologues was one of the sweetest things Poe had ever witnessed. Kix was floored to learn that Rey was Obi-Wan's great-granddaughter.

"I served with him. He was a good man. The cartoons don't do him justice," he said, getting a little misty-eyed. "That Skywalker, though, he was mental.”

This got a laugh.

...

Poe didn't even know his eyes were drooping until suddenly the credits were rolling and the lights came up. "I wasn't sleeping."

"...No one said you were?"

"Dream-Finn was making fun of me, then," he said, and sighed. "Also boobs are good pillows."

"And with that exciting update, we're out of popcorn and someone needs to be put to bed," Finn laughed, though Rey and Poe both looked very warm and comfortable. They would need to be snuggled as soon as possible, but only once everyone left.

Luckily, the others seemed equally sleepy, and they trailed out soon after chairs had been returned to their places and all popcorn crumbs had been swept up. They went in pairs, mostly, except for Kix, who was the last to leave. He paused at the door and smiled at them.

"Thank you. For including me, and for showing me this...program," he said. “I thought it would make me sad to remember—but it makes me happy, actually.”

Finn gave him a sympathetic smile in return.

"It's not an easy adjustment, right? But all we can do is what we can. I'm glad you're here," Finn told him. 'I’m glad you are the one who will be watching out for the other ex-stormtroopers' was what he mostly meant—but he was also glad he had met Kix.

The Clone trooper nodded and said a quiet goodnight before shutting the door behind him.

Finn turned back to Rey and Poe. "Room for one more?"

"He's nice," Poe admitted tiredly, as Rey shifted.

"Finn, do you want to trade places?" she offered, both to give him a chance to be close to Poe, and give her a chance to move and put Sam down.

"Give Sammy a kiss," she told Poe, who lifted his head to the baby's cheek. Sam, completely unconscious, didn't notice.

With Finn's help, she slid out from behind Poe, and Finn slid back in, resting Poe entirely back against his chest. He was sweaty and smelled like hospital and was frail and bony under Finn's hands, but he was here.

"Tattoos are gonna need a lot of work, huh?" Poe wondered, once they were all settled.

Finn wrapped his arms gently around Poe's front, and holding Poe close was something he'd missed so badly that, just at this moment, it felt like the world was recovering some of the order it had lost.

"You with us, Finn?" Rey asked when she turned from putting Sam in his crib to find Finn staring off into the middle distance and Poe with his eyes closed. He blinked and smiled at her.

"Yeah. Sorry. I was thinking." He kissed Poe on one shoulder. "Your scars are going to be very dashing, but...they do kind of break up the tattoos," he said.

Poe chuckled softly, though his face was pinched in a weary grimace. He always hurt the most right before bed, and moving hurt, and it wasn't fair because it felt so good to be skin to skin with his future husband and wife.

"Yeah. Gotta see when Rokko has time for me...careful!" he wheezed, as Rey moved in on his other side. "Sorry. Hip's been bugging me all day."

Rey stopped moving, laying still on the edge of the bed.

"Sorry, do you need something for the pain?" she asked, brushing her knuckles over his stubble.

Poe shrugged with one shoulder. It had been a long day. Everything just hurt. "I'm okay. Better with you here. I know you know to be careful. Sorry."

Moving very gingerly so as not to bump or move Poe, Rey snuggled up to his side as close as she comfortably could, and put her hand on his. The blanket had fallen down to his lap from all the shifting around, so she pulled it back up over all three of them and sighed softly as it warmed them. Finn yawned softly and traced small half-circles with his thumb against Poe's chest, matching the rhythm of his breathing without thinking about it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rey asked, because Poe was still tense, and she could just about feel Finn holding almost perfectly still in response, not wanting to hurt him.

Poe nodded.

"Just gets to be a lot at the end of the day," he whispered, trying to relax, to make his body uncurl. "W-would you—" he began, then shook his head, laughing. "Never mind."

"Will you let me in?" Rey asked, just as hesitant. "Let us both in?"

Of course he could always feel Rey's presence, and Finn's too, against him, but he was building his walls back up, didn't want them going deep. Everything was a mess. He was tired and in pain and blamed people for things he shouldn't blame people for.

Poe tensed again, and then groaned softly.

"I—uh—it's not—" _It's not pretty in there._

"I can help with the pain," Rey offered. "Share it with you."

"Whoa, _no_ , no way."

" _Poe_ ," Rey said. "You're being macho again."

"Hey, when you need a machine to help you pee, you take the opportunities you can get." But Poe sighed, leaning back against Finn.

"I missed you two," he said. "I think I keep dreaming about being frozen, like some part of me remembers it. Which is crazy."

Poe shivered, and then grimaced.

Rey leaned over him carefully to kiss his lips, begging entrance not just into his mouth, and this time Poe let her, and Finn came with her.

And it wasn't nearly as tortured or terrifying as either of them thought it would be, slipping in and sharing Poe's thoughts and mindspace. He was helpless and mad and sick and tired, but there wasn't much fear, not now, not _here_ —and Poe could feel in turn how _lonely_ they had been without him, how scared they had been.

"Gods," he said, eyes pooling with unshed tears, and Rey kissed him again and Finn wrapped his arms around him.

Finn couldn't help it—he saw the mess the First Order had made of Poe mentally, in addition to physically, and it was like being engulfed by a protective _rage_ that anyone would _dare_ to do this to someone he _loved_ , and he let out a shuddering sigh. Never again. Anyone who wanted to go after his family was going to go through him—and all of his considerable stormtrooper and Resistance combat training—to get to them. Rey and Poe were his, and he was theirs, and he couldn't wield the Force or fly starfighters, but it made him no less dangerous.

And here, safe in Poe's headspace, he made sure that they knew. He loved them as deeply as he hated the people who had tried to take this from them, and held them as tight in their shared thoughts as he couldn't in physical space. They would all do what they had to, what they needed to, once Poe was better and they were living their lives again, but when they all came home to each other, whether they were tired, or injured, or scared, as long as Rey and Poe were there, Finn would happily be their foundation, and they would be what grounded him and made him strong.

He felt Rey smiling, and realized that she was following along with his thoughts, watching them ebb and flow with fond amusement. Eyes still closed, she found his hand where it rested on Poe's chest and rested hers on top of it.

With their hands and minds all linked, and sandwiched together on this tiny hospital bed, Poe let himself relax. Or maybe Rey did something in his brain—flipped some switch, or interposed herself along the neural pathway that registered pain—because he felt lighter now, safer, warmer, and it was harder to remember being stuck in bed with a missing arm and a shattered pelvis. He was drifting now, almost immediately, wanting to say more, _I love you, thank you, good night_ , but then he was asleep, and for the first time since a long time he dreamed about flying.

Finn listened to Poe's breaths even out, and felt Rey shift just slightly to a more comfortable position before she sighed a deep, contented sigh. They had no need for words right now, linked as they were, and Rey rested gratefully there in the steady warmth of both of her boys. She reveled in it like a sunflower in daylight, letting it start to chip away at some of the darkness that had set up residence in the corners of her mind. Not _Dark-side_ darkness—of that she was certain—but the usual darkness caused by too much pain and worry. Settling into the familiar space of the thoughts Poe let her touch, Finn by their side, was a balm. Here, she could sleep. And she did.

As Rey's breaths joined Poe's, Finn lay half-awake just to listen, memorizing and internalizing a sound he thought he'd lost. When he found himself matching their rhythm, he decided he could probably join them in sleep, and he let his eyes drift shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last few days of the [SWWA Comment Bingo Game](https://starwarswritingalliance.tumblr.com/post/164113801687/do-you-like-to-read-fanfiction-do-you-like) are upon us! You have until August 27th!


	6. Chapter 6

Poe's arm would take several days of construction—at least the way Dr. Ori worked—but Sam got fitted with a prosthetic right away.

"So this model will take care of him until he stops growing and he wants to look at something permanent," the doctor said, trying to fit squirming baby to prosthetic arm. Sam was on an examination table in medical, being held by Finn, while Rey, Poe, and Dr. Kalonia looked on.

"It's plenty durable, though if it's got any problems you can't fix I'm glad to replace it," he continued. "Of course I'm sure Mrs. Gearhead over here won't have any trouble."

Rey and Dr. Kalonia rolled their eyes, but said nothing.

"Best part—and he'll love this when he gets older—it's fully customizable! Depending on how much he takes after mom, he can attach anything to it, and the part that fits around the arm can be changed out, too, so it grows with him."

"Wait, Rey, move, I can't see," Poe protested from the bed, trying to sit up. She stepped back to him and laid a hand on his knee.

Sam was getting very impatient with being fussed at by the doctor, who was inordinately interested in one of his arms—one arm only, the shorter one that didn't grab things but that was much better for sucking on than his hand. He screeched his annoyance, scaling up towards a full-on scream.

"Sam, Sammy shhhh, why are you so upset, little man?" Finn asked as Sam became more vocal in his displeasure.

Rey tapped Finn's shoulder and he stepped back to let her take over. She crouched down to Sam's level and recited in a sing-songy voice:

"There once was a man from Naboo  
Who dreamed he was eating his shoe…”

Sam blinked at her, quieting a little to listen.

"He awoke in the night  
With a bone-chilling fright  
And found it was perfectly true!"

Sam was staring at her now, fascinated.

"Okay so apparently Rey can hypnotize babies," Finn said quietly to Poe as Rey started another poem.

Poe was startled into laughing, and so, then, was Sam, and Finn retreated and put his hand on Poe's shoulder—the injured side, on that vulnerable junction of neck and shoulder—and Poe felt calmed by the gesture.

"There!" Dr. Ori said, finally getting the apparatus attached to Sam's nubbin.

"Now, he might be too young to figure it out yet, but I've given him the neural version that just takes a small chip to work—this is where you come in, my dear—" he told Dr. Kalonia, who was hiding a glorified hypospray from Sam's sight.

"Hello, there, Sam," she said. "My that's a very nice mechno arm you have."

She gestured at the bright blue pinchers at the end of the limb. And when Sam's eyes tracked down, she reached behind his neck to give him the injection.

Betrayed more than hurt, Sam shrieked, crying big fat tears which Rey did her best to soothe, but—

"Hey, it's working!" Rey cried as Sam clung to her automatically with both hand and prosthetic.

Finn went to Rey and Sam as Rey continued trying to soothe him, and pulled them back over toward Poe so he could see.

"Sam! Hey Sammy, look, let’s show Papa!" Finn said and Sam, apparently still feeling betrayed by all and sundry sans Poe, reached for him, still sobbing.

"Oh, my gods," Poe laughed, and held out his arm. "Come here, son."

Rey deposited him, warm and heavy, on his chest, where he stopped sobbing quite so pitifully.

"Look at you, kiddo, check out this piece! Look, there's not even any blood, what's there to cry about, huh? Sometimes Dr. K gives us shots, and we gotta be big boys about it," Poe instructed, rubbing Sam's back and the tiny prick on the back of his neck.

Sam did stop screaming to sniffle, and now he was quite intrigued by the apparatus, opening and closing it along with his own fist.

"Ah, there we are, he's getting it," Dr. Ori praised. "Fast learner!"

"Takes after his Daddy," Rey said, slipping her hand into Finn's as they watched Poe ease Sam back from his chest so they could look at each other, both of Sam's hands, prosthetic and flesh, in between them.

Sam opened his pinchers up again, and then closed them, practicing, tears still wet on his face but forgotten. Then he looked up at Poe, who gave him an encouraging smile, and, very solemnly and carefully, closed the pinchers around Poe's nose.

"Ow! Hey!"

That got a laugh out of everyone, and Finn turned to both doctors.

"Thank you, Dr. Ori. Really. I think he likes it," he said to Ori—maybe he'd had reservations about the doctor—he still kind of did, but only because it was difficult reconciling the man's very clear genius with his wacky behavior. He turned back to Sam and Poe. "So, buddy, are we forgiven yet?"

Sam was gurgling happily, now squeezing everyone's noses, his toothless face grinning and drooling.

"Here ya go, kiddo, here's something crazy you'll like!" Dr. Ori said, and switched the blue pinchers for some sort of lizard head that grabbed things with its mouth.

"Hey, _I_ want one of these!" Poe laughed, but Sam looked the thing worriedly in the eyes and started crying again.

"Okay, maybe he's too young for the scary krayt dragon head," Rey said, switching them up again.

"Well, okay, I just wanted to show you...anyway, good? We're good? Suralinda, you got my good angles, right?"

" _Your_ good angles? I'm pretty sure I got one of the kid grabbing Dameron's nose," the reporter laughed. "I'm kidding, Doc, you're in there, too."

"Great! Okay, I'm going to go work on your mechno, Commander! I'm so excited I haven't slept. I may need to do some exploratory surgery before we're done though, just to see what's left in there to attach it to."

"Or I have...X-rays?" Dr. Kalonia offered, "and many other non-invasive ways of looking at his arm?"

Like all geniuses, Dr. Ori could get a little mad-sciencey if left unsupervised.

"How about you don't go digging around in his arm any more than you have to?" Finn asked with deceptive cheer. He was going to change his opinion on Ori if he couldn't trust him to control himself when he attached Poe's mechno.

Rey squeezed his hand, realizing he was not even a little amused—and pretty sure he was overreacting just a little.

"Dr. Ori, could you show me how to do basic maintenance on the mechno arms when you have a moment?" Rey asked the doctor, reasoning that he probably just needed to be kept busy (and quiet, since half the time when he spoke it annoyed Finn).

The doctor was only too glad to show them how the arm worked, as much as Sam allowed, anyway, and Poe looked past them and smiled up at Finn.

(He saw the picture, later, when Suralinda was letting him go through and 'approve' pictures for publication—making sure not to show Sam's face and nothing too embarrassing from his recovery—and it was the only picture he liked of himself out of the batch. The way he looked at Finn made him look handsomer, somehow.)

"Well, so I'm excited for _my_ new arm..." Poe eventually said, and Dr. Ori jumped.

"Oh, that's right! I have so much still to do. You're gonna love it, baby, ciao ciao. Have fun with the kid, I'll do a follow-up exam before I go! Get lots of rest now, Dameron, and Dr. K, just forward me his charts and things, I'll look them over next to my schematics, thanks!"

He was still talking to them halfway down the hall.

"There's _no way_ I talk that much," Poe sighed, resting his head back.

Finn smile and kissed the top of Poe's head. "Not always, anyway.”

Sam was still trying out his hand, using the blue pincher to grab Poe's shirt and then let it go. He tried (unsuccessfully) to stuff the new limb in his mouth as he did with his other hand, and then settled for gumming one of the sides of the pincher very thoroughly. Rey laughed and tickled his back and he spit it out to wave both arms around.

"This kid is going to be a hazard," she commented as he nearly clocked himself in the face. "Just like his Papa!" she added with a grin, and leaned in to kiss Poe's cheek.

"Maybe we could get softer materials, you know, until he's bigger," Poe said. "You know, rubber, or something padded."

Poe laughed to himself with an idea. "Hey, I wonder if he can move it even when he takes it off!"

"If he can, I can tell you how he's going to prank his little siblings someday," Rey said with a thoughtful sigh and a distant grin.

Finn and Poe stared at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Poe said quickly.

"I just—" Finn began, but then stopped.

"Plans to adopt more stormtroopers?" Poe finally ventured.

Rey shrugged and smiled a little nervously, turning red. Had she not told them about her vision?

"When we went to see your dad, Poe—me and Luke—I went and climbed in the Force tree, and I had a vision. Sammy was in it, and—and sisters. We had more kids," she said, and she looked between Poe and Finn.

"At least one, anyway. A girl," she added. Sam had been sent to find his sister and bring her to dinner. Or... was it sisters? She couldn't remember— "Maybe more than one," she added, just to be safe.

Finn blinked, and Poe laughed, his whole face lighting up. "What, really?"

"Yes," Rey told him, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing his feet gently—it made him wince at first, but it felt good after a few minutes. "I was—very angry when we thought you were dead. Because you were both in it. In the future, with me and Sam. And more children."

Rey sighed, and shrugged. "I think, now that the Republic is helping us in this war, and—well, when we're married—"

"Let's get married right now!" Poe blurted out, like he had been thinking about this for some time and had just gotten the nerve to say it. "I don't even care any more. The General could marry us, Dr. K. could witness it!"

"Uh, Poe, do you think maybe..." Finn started as Rey burst out laughing.

"Poe, no. What about all the planning your family did?"

"Wait, are we talking about the wedding because we want to be married, or because Rey's vision told her that we're married when we have more kids?" Finn asked, confused.

"I—" Poe blushed and squirmed. "No, it's because I want to be married to you. We waited too long last time and I almost died.”

Finn cupped Poe's cheek as gently as he could while also being forceful, and kissed him.

"We're not going to lose you again," he promised.

"I know," Poe replied, gaze locked in Finn's for a moment before he stirred to look at both of them again. "I just—I don't want to wait another second. We've passed the date, for moon's sake! I don't care about the cake and the flowers—"

"You don't mean that," Rey said gently. "All the more reason now that it should be special. And with Hux and Phasma gone, that leaves the temper-throwing manchild in charge of the First Order, so they’re unlikely to launch any decently coordinated attack. And with the Republic on our side, we might even...feel safe enough to want more children. Or find some more accidentally."

Rey shrugged, rubbing Sam's head. "Okay?"

Poe deflated, but she was right. "Okay.”

"Hey, so, while you've been lazing about in medical..." Finn started, changing the subject as he settled next to Poe so he could lean on his shoulder, "We gained about a hundred fighters and maybe a thousand miscellaneous personnel when we rescued you."

And that was a small number compared to those who wanted as far from both the Resistance and the First Order as possible, or who were going to have to be held until their motivations were clearer.

Poe brightened visibly: he could get used to good news for a change. “Wow, buddy, really?”

Finn nodded.

"I think Kix and I are going to work on some kind of protocol to handle the ones we brought down to the planet. He'll take the others into his custody when the delegation leaves." He was a lot less concerned about this than he had been, now that he'd spent some time around Kix. The man really did care about the ex-stormtroopers, even the ones who were being less than cooperative. "We gotta find jobs for all of them...and counseling. The techs are worse off than the soldiers, most of them. More like Time."

Rey frowned, and Poe's brows knit together. "Poor kids."

"Not kids," Finn said—though, okay, they were all “kids” to Poe. "Not all of them. But...a lot of them."

"Can I help? I mean, not while I'm stuck in this bed, but—are there any pilots? I'm sure I could delegate. Make Pava and Snap train them!"

" _You_ focus on getting well," Rey said, exchanging a secret look with Finn, who grinned when Poe wasn't looking.

Poe groaned and gave a little kick.

"I'm sorry. I know it doesn't help to hear me bitching when you two are run off your feet." He looked down at Sam again. "This guy looks pretty good, though. Love the arm, kiddo."

Sam loved it, too. He was sucking on it.

"You _do_ know I was kidding about the lazy thing, right?" Finn asked, smiling. "Although if you're really bored, I'm sure we could find you _something_ to do."

On Poe's other side, from where she tucked herself very carefully next to him, Rey giggled.

"Oh, I'm sure the General would let you do some of her paperwork, if you asked reality nicely," she said. "Or you're more than welcome to do mine."

"That's not fair, you have less than I do! I'll _never_ be done," Finn whined dramatically.

"I _feel_ lazy," Poe huffed, and then, grinning up at them: "but never lazy enough to want to do paperwork.”

Sam took this as a cue to start warbling uncertainly, and he waved his new arm around for emphasis. "Ba!" he managed eventually and patted Poe's arm.

"Yes, Sammy, Papa's gonna get a new arm, too, just like yours," Poe said, grabbing Sam's belly and tickling until Sam laughed and fell onto his back. "Maybe not just like. Mine's gonna shoot lasers or something, I guess."

Rey laughed. "Tools that shoot out so you don't have to rely on _someone_ to know what a hydrospanner looks like."

"Hey! I've learned them all _now_!" Finn protested.

[And vitals] BB-8 reported from below, feeling quite left out. [The vitals tracker is important. The doctor has been informed. Also a butane torch, like mine.]

They stuck out their torch in a thumbs-up.

[And I have acquired the frequency of Friend-Sam's chip from Dr. Ori. All of his vitals are within acceptable parameters!] BB-8 added.

“Well, that’s good, buddy, glad you’re looking out for him…” Poe began.

BB-8 swiveled to look up at Rey from their side of the bed.

[You do not have a tracker, and neither does Friend-Finn] they said imperiously. Rey looked over at Finn and Poe and raised her eyebrows.

"Well, BB-8, I...imagine we can fix that? Would that make you feel better?" she asked.

BB-8 whistled at her.

[I am a droid, Friend-Rey] they said, as if to disavow any  _feelings_ (including those of being upset about feeling left out).

Then they wobbled, and their resolve crumbled.

[Yes... Please] they said softly, still rocking in some embarrassment.

"You're the best droid, BB-8," Finn said over the bed, touched by the little droid's concern for all of them, and he heard a happy whir.

"Oh, they're aware," Poe said, sounding put-upon, though he was secretly pleased. "Hey! And that's something I _can_ do! Just get me the chips and a hypospray, BB-8 can be my extra hand, and—"

"I'm not letting you shoot me with a hypo! You're not medically trained!" Finn said.

"What? I did my own and nothing bad happened!"

"Poe, that's like giving yourself a tattoo!"

"You guys are just trying to keep me from living my life," Poe grumbled.

"Or," Dr. Kalonia broke in as she entered, "You could leave medical procedures to—and I know this is a crazy idea—medical professionals."

The doctor looked between all three of them with her eyebrows raised. Then she brightened and looked at Sam, who was still laying on his back in Poe's lap and playing with his feet.

"Hello, little one! That's a very nice arm you have there. Can you grab my finger for me?" she asked, and held out her hand.

Sam blinked at her and made a grab for her hand with the new pincer, only barely missing.

"Got some motor control to work out, but that's to be expected. The chip will adapt the more he uses it," she told them. Undeterred, Sam grabbed her fingers with his flesh-hand and waved them around happily, warbling.

Finn smiled—Sam's little noises were music to his ears.

"You are very sweet, aren't you, yes," Dr. K said to Sam. "And later, if she hasn't murdered anyone yet, the General will be by to see how everyone is doing and hide from the visitors!"

Finn snorted.

"That bad, huh?" he asked dryly.

"Not a problem in the world," Kalonia responded, equally dry.

"Connix has been keeping me...informed," Rey said, by which she meant that _it wasn't gossip if it was to a Major and a Jedi_.

"Apparently, Senator Holdo is a major _ho-tah_ —” Rey often switched to Huttese when angry, “—and wants the Republic military to take over the Resistance, even though they don't know what they're up against."

"It makes sense for things like the SRTF,” Finn added, “where we don't possibly have the resources, and I trust Kix—”

“But so far Deso is a pushover and will say whatever Holdo wants to hear. General Organa apparently almost punched her, several times. Statura _cursed_!" Rey reported gleefully.

"He _didn't_!" Poe gasped, and then laughed. "Man, am I glad that's above my paygrade. I would have punched somebody. Me and politics do not mix well."

He looked down and tickled Sam's chin and added, "Not that violence solves anything, kiddo. It just feels good."

"Don't tell him that," Finn scolded gently, laying his hand over Poe's.

Poe wondered what Finn was taught, at the same age. What his parents wanted him to be and believe, and what the First Order tried to mold him into. Poe threaded their fingers together.

"Hey, how's the trooper processing going, with the ones who want to join up? The ones you and Kix are working with? Found any bad ones yet? You don't have to stay here with me all day if you have stuff to do," Poe said.

"No, they're mostly in meetings with Dr. Lan and the psytechs—and Master Luke," Finn said. "We're trying to figure out how to interview them without needing a Jedi as fallback, you know? Even if you count me and the General, that's spreading it a little thin, so Luke's just...quality control checking at the end. _They're_ the ones with the long hours now. Me and Kix will have our work cut out for us integrating them in a few more days."

"Good. That's about when I'll up and trying to remember how to walk," Poe said, "and I don't want you seeing me like that. You should help him," he told Rey. He was glad to be getting the new arm, but he was mostly excited for his legs and pelvis to heal enough for him to get out of this damn bed. "I mean, I'll be glad when I won't need a machine to poop."

"You’ll still need us to help you get _to_ the toilet," Rey said with a smirk. "Anyway, it's not like it's not anything we've _seen_ , Poe."

"Ugh, I know. This is why I want you gone. Medidroids will help me," Poe whined.

Rey and Finn looked at each other. If Poe had been a model patient up to now, it apparently wasn't going to last indefinitely.

Finn leaned his head gently against Poe's. "Remember when I had to learn how to walk again? And how you helped me?" he asked. It could have been a lifetime ago, for how much had happened since. Poe had been so attentive and tender, his patience boundless, even when Finn got frustrated. Poe knew that.

“Well, yeah, but…”

"And if you think we're letting you out of our sight for _days_..." Rey hummed from Poe's other side. She glanced over at Finn and smiled. "Well. You better think again, my honey."

Her tone left no room for argument.

Dr. Kalonia straightened from playing with Sam (who she'd picked up very sneakily to tickle) and re-settled the baby comfortably in Poe's lap. He took a handful of his Papa's shirt in his tiny fist and pulled it closer to his chest before sighing deeply and snuggling down to sleep.

"I think little Sam agrees," the doctor chuckled.

Poe huffed. "I'm just gonna be grumpy and awful," he warned.

"I can be grumpier and awfuler," Rey countered.

"You'll decide you don't want to marry me."

"Not a chance," Finn promised.

Poe looked down. "The kid's gonna walk before I do."

"Well, if you don't have someone to race against, you won't run as hard," Dr. Kalonia suggested.

Poe glared at her, and then beamed. "Ah, so I _am_ allowed to push myself now?"

"What? No. I didn't say that!" Dr. Kalonia said, and laughed, when she realized Dameron was teasing her. Pretending to sound stern though she was still somewhat amused, she said, "Don't test a woman who keeps a cabinet full of laxatives, Commander. Good night."

After she had gone back to her office, Poe looked back and forth between Rey and Finn, and then looked down at Sam, who blinked up at them tiredly. "Can we set a new date? For the wedding?"

Finn was smiling an absolutely besotted smile at Poe as he looked at Sam, and Rey wished she could preserve this one quiet moment as she watched them.

"Yes, of course we can," she replied, her voice a little scratchy. "I love you so much," she added, because now they were both looking at her oddly, and Finn looked concerned, because of course he did.

Poe grasped her hand to bring it to his lips and kiss her palm.

"I love you, too," he said, and smiled wetly at both of them. "Forgive me for thinking I could ever do anything without you both?"

Rey laughed.

"Oh, you _can_ ," Rey said, squeezing in close. "We're just not going to let you. What's a good date for you, Finn? Once Poe's on his feet, and we get the stormtroopers integrated?"

Finn was about to answer when there was a cough from the door. "You all know they're planning a decoration ceremony soon, right? So that _might_ be the walking goal you're aiming for first, Dameron."

"Javos," Poe growled. "I was having a moment with my affianced. Don't be that reporter."

"Wait what? Decoration ceremony?" Finn asked. He'd heard nothing of this. Javos looked between the three of them and shrugged.

"I mean, I overheard it, you know, I could have completely mistaken what they were saying!" she laughed.

"You're lying," Rey commented, and Javos beamed.

"Yes I am. But not completely. How's Sam doing?" she asked, changing the subject, and Rey laughed. It was a job well-done, she had to give the reporter that.

"He's sleepy. But he seems to be doing okay with the new arm," Finn told her as she approached and gave the baby a small wave of greeting.

Poe huffed. Yeah, Finn was probably finally getting the seven medals of valor he was owed at this point...

"He's such a sweet thing," Suralinda said, and then looked up. "And hey, wanted to let you know my story hit, and people love you guys already. Public opinion is swinging pro-Resistance fast, and I haven't even got a picture of this kid and his arm."

She handed Finn a datapad with the story pulled up—graced by a picture of all four of them, close up enough to tell they were in a hospital room, but not enough that it wasn't flattering—Rey was the focus of the shot, her lightsaber gleaming proudly on her hip as she leaned in to smile at Sam, while Poe and Finn were more blurry in the background, with Sam silhouetted against white hospital sheets—and blew on her sharp fingernails and polished them on her shirt.

"And a First Senator who will remain nameless wants me to be writing an exposé on who Senator Organa's related to, but I just got a hot tip _you_ can tell me about Obi-Wan Kenobi's great-granddaughter, which would be way more interesting. It's got a nice cyclical feel to it, that now Skywalker is the Master, and everything." She grinned sharp teeth. "Also might mention Holdo's got a Tarkin on her mother's side. Read that somewhere."

"Oho, you're evil," Poe grinned. "Remind me not to piss you off."

"You know, speaking of being pissed off, I haven't been invited to the wedding yet. When's the new date? I promise I won't publish it—the date—as long as you give me exclusive press photography rights."

"Oh my gods, you _vulture_!" Poe laughed, actually scandalized.

"Do you want everyone in the galaxy to side with the Resistance or not, Dameron?" she countered. "If the Resistance looks like you guys—sexy Jedi, descendant of the most famous Jedi after Yoda—sexy stormtrooper, who is living proof of the horrors of the First Order—and sexy pilot, wounded in the line of duty—and their adorable kid rescued from the First Order—it's better than recruitment posters. It's damn good PR. Holdo _wants_ me to say the warmongering daughter of Darth Vader is—"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Alternative is bad," Poe said. "No, and I know you're doing good by us, and for us. I don't even need to read it."

"I want you to read it, Poe," she said. She turned to Finn. "And I want you working on a speech. To the Republic. At this decoration ceremony that may or may not be coming up. Work me some ethos-pathos-logos, friend. They'll only listen to _me_ so far, and I can get you on the front page. Right next to the picture of Dameron bursting into tears."

"I'm not gonna cry!" Poe protested, but Suralinda laughed.

"He always cries at decoration ceremonies," she assured them.

"It's okay. I'll make sure to bring a handkerchief," Finn said, far too seriously to be taken at face value.

Rey giggled.

"Okay, but what am I supposed to say?" he asked Javos.

She and Rey exchanged glances.

"Something heroic!"

"And kind."

"And motivational."

"Yeah but not too motivational, because I do not feel like chasing ex-stormtroopers and trigger-happy pilots all over the galaxy," Rey concluded.

Suralinda nodded in agreement.

"You'll find something to say, I'm sure. It'll be fine," she reassured him. Of course, it was easy for her to say—she was a writer, already good with words.

"Ask the general," Poe recommended. "Or Calrissian. He's a bit of a smoothie, he's always got good words."

"You do, too," Rey pointed out.

Poe laughed, pressing a hand to his side. "I dunno. Not when I'm really worked up about something. I _am_ good at knowing what people want to hear."

"You cad."

"You love me."

"I know."

Poe and Rey were looking soppily at each other, and at Finn, and Suralinda smiled. "Well, I'll get out of your hair. I'll be back when they take you off to surgery, Poe."

"Thanks, Javos. I'll have read the article by then."

...

When they were alone, Poe tilted his head back. "Kiss me?" he asked.

"Hmmmm," Rey said, and tucked her hair behind her ear so it wouldn't fall forward and tickle Poe's face when she leaned over him. "Should I?"

But she smiled and pressed the gentlest kiss to Poe's lips.

Next to them, Finn blinked a few times at the sly, oddly sweet grin on Rey's face. She looked up and caught him watching and grinned at him, too. Then she leaned closer and kissed him, as well—just as gently and sweetly as she'd kissed Poe. Finn sighed softly.

"Now you kiss Poe," she told him, still grinning.

Finn smiled and bent to nuzzle Poe's cheek and then kiss him, still gentle enough to not hurt him, but not so gently as Rey had—and more insistently.

If Rey's kiss stole Poe's breath, Finn's kiss drew a whimper out of him.

"No," he corrected, as Finn drew back in concern at the sound, "no, it doesn't hurt," he begged, and was granted another kiss.

"I want—" Poe began, and then shook his head in a huff.

"Want to be out of here," he said with some resignation, leaving the implication of what they _could_ be up to in the privacy of their own room to Rey and Finn.

"Soon," Rey told him, raking her nails over Poe's short hair, careful of the large gash that was beginning to pucker into a scar. "Until then, you be good and get well."

Then she smiled mischievously.

"I should make you both wait until our wedding night," she suggested, just to see the looks on their faces.

"You wouldn't," Finn said, but it sounded a little less confident than he could have hoped, and Rey grinned.

"I might," she teased, "Just to make you crazy."

"But _Rey_ ," Finn complained, playing along, and it was so pathetic and horrified that even Poe huffed a small laugh.

"I _will_...if you're not very good. That means you—" she looked at Poe and granted him another kiss— "Have to listen to the doctors, and you—" she leaned forward and kissed Finn, too,— "Have to do the paperwork and boring meetings and things you keep putting off in favor of training with the new troops and reorganizing the barracks."

"...You're mean," Finn grumbled, but he accepted another kiss anyway.

"I know. The worst," Rey said solemnly.

Poe laughed hard enough that it actually hurt, and Sam, laid across his knees, stirred and made an annoyed baby sound.

"Rey, sweetheart," he said, "you know it turns me on when you take control like that. So you better stop being so sexy, since I'm pretty sure even _I'm_ not interested in figuring out what it feels like to get a boner with a catheter in."

" _Ooh,_ " Finn winced, and things went from amorous to businesslike very quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho-tah (Huttese) - a foolish being


	7. Chapter 7

"You're sure you can handle this? We have droids—" Dr. Kalonia began, as Rey and Finn were helping Poe up from the bed and into a chair.

"Yes," Poe snapped, irritable because his body was moving in ways it hadn't in weeks and protested seriously. "They can handle me. Just want some alone time. Without machines and tubes and—I mean I guess BB-8 can stay."

[You just try and tell me to go.]

Poe grinned at that.

Kes was holding Sam, bouncing him to keep him happy, since it was upsetting seeing his Papa so clearly in pain. "Are you sure you  don't want my help?"

"Definitely not," Poe growled, as Finn and Rey together sat him in the chair. "No dads for bath time."

"Right, not like I've never bathed you—"

" _Dad_ , don't make this weird."

"You give Sammy baths," Kes pointed out.

" _Weird_ ," Poe hissed. "Everyone please, just—some time alone, with Rey and Finn, please?"

"All right," Dr. Kalonia sighed, and unclasped the casing around his left arm-stump. It was no longer an open wound, but had gone sickly-pale and skinny. Poe looked away from it.

"You'll want to be very careful with the limb," she said, as Rey supported him at what was left of his elbow.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said, trying to open up into Poe to feel what hurt most so she could adjust her grip if needed, but Poe was bristling and closing off. "You sure you don't want a pain shot?"

"No. Makes me weird," Poe said. He barely had a grip on himself right now. Maybe the whole bath thing was a bad idea, but his arm, especially, reeked. And his neck beard was killing him, even if Finn had already shaved him once. "I'm okay," he insisted, gripping the arm of the chair until his knuckles whitened.

Finn put his hand on Poe's shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. "We good then?" he asked, and when no one spoke up immediately, he jumped in to forestall them. "Great! Thanks, we'll just—okay, bye!"

He gave the chair a push to send it hovering along toward the bathroom, and Rey followed after them.

Poe sagged back into the chair, taking hold of his own arm as Rey fell in behind, since it ached just hanging from his shoulder like that.

"Thanks," he told Finn quietly, as they hovered him into a large washroom with a bathtub sunk into the floor that was big enough for them all to fit into, and had a mechanical chair that could lower a patient into and out of the pool.

"Hey, sweet setup," he said, trying to fight through the fog of pain. He hoped the water supporting him would help.

"You want to go for a ride in the chair?" Rey asked Poe, playfully. "I think we'd do just as well."

"I dunno, this guy is a professional," Poe nodded at the assistive chair.

BB-8, who had followed, honked indignantly. [That is not a droid, Friend-Poe, that is a machine. It can’t hear you.]

"How're you feeling?" Finn asked, concerned.

Poe had let go of the arm of the chair, but Finn in no way believed that meant he wasn't in pain—he was probably being stoic.

"What if one of us gets in first?" Finn offered, trying (and probably failing) not to hover.

Rey began filling up the tub, and the water frothed invitingly. If it was scented, it was a very inoffensive clean smell.

Poe managed a smile. "Fine," he said. "And, uh, I'm the dead weight, so you guys decide."

"Getting you down is easy, it's getting you up where we might use the chair," Rey suggested, and knelt in front of Poe. "Can you tell me what you're worried about hurting? Or do you want to tell me why you're shutting me out?"

"Don't lecture me," Poe snapped, and instantly regretted it, turning his face away with an exasperated groan. "Ugh, I'm sorry. Sorry. I'm not doing it on purpose." Any more than he was being an asshole on purpose. "I'm sorry."

He just felt so raw like this, and in a bad way, like he was _scraped_ raw.

"That's okay, I tried to kill you a few times while my back was healing," Finn said easily, and Rey snorted, not having expected that. "Well I _did_."

"Oh, believe me, I've heard all about it—from you, from Poe, from Jess..." Rey answered. It wasn't something they kept hidden—probably most of the base knew that Finn, in his earlier months with the Resistance, had been an especially cranky patient.

“Look, just get in the pool and behave!" Finn said, and then stuck his tongue out at Rey. To Poe, he said, “You, too.”

"Yeah, I'll just use the Force to levitate my ass into the—" Poe began to repay their sarcasm back in kind, but stopped as Rey got a wild look in her eyes. She smiled almost evilly.

"No! No, no, Finn, don't let her! I'm not a pile of stones or an AT-AT, I am a grumpy, shriveled up old man, _please_ put me in the bath the normal way?" Poe begged, grasping at Finn's arm.

"Okay, okay, I won't levitate you with the Force," Rey said, slipping into the water up to her waist and holding out her arms. "Finn, can you hand him off to me?"

That Finn was, in fact, completely capable of lifting Poe to gently pass him to Rey actually made Finn’s heart hurt. Poe shouldn't be so easy to lift, even if Finn _had_ been getting more rec time than usual due to the new recruits and training. But he covered it with a sympathetic smile as he carefully lowered Poe to Rey's waiting arms, and then he slipped out of his clothes and into the water with them, realizing as he did so that something had been added to make them more buoyant.

"How's this, Poe? They're pulling out all the stops—"

"— _This water is weird_ ," Rey informed them both very suddenly, as if she'd just noticed.

[The doctor has added a small amount of bacta to the water to assist patients in floating comfortably] BB-8 informed them from next to the tub.

Poe's smile was tight as he tried to care about anything other than how his body was stiffly unfolding from its locked up and curled up position to something free-floating. Even though every part of him was now supported and in just a few minutes he was going to feel great, right now it was cripplingly painful. He just had to ride it out, let the bacta work...

"Poe? Poe?"

Oh, Finn was talking to him.

"Yeah, it's, uh," Poe said, thinking this had been a terrible idea.

"Come here, Finn," Rey instructed, suddenly serious. "Help me hold him. Poe, stop tensing."

"It _hurts_."

"We've got you. Just hold him," she told Finn, and they curled around him, Finn behind him and Rey holding his legs and supporting his arm.

"Relax," she whispered, and shut off the jets.

And this time when Poe let his limbs go, they didn't feel like they were going to float away, or that he was going to go under, and the bacta was working, soothing and relaxing. He took a careful breath.

"Gods I'm sick of everything hurting," he gasped, realizing his eyes were screwed shut. "Better now," he added, though everyone was afraid to move, the mood going serious again. "Sorry."

"You're okay, shh," Rey said. "Relax. We've got you."

Slowly Poe felt himself unfolding, physically and mentally, and he became aware of things beyond himself. He leaned his head back against Finn's shoulder.

"Finn, why is Rey wearing a swimsuit?" he wondered, a weak attempt to lighten things up.

Rey continued holding Poe's legs, giving his joints and muscles time to relax and stretch.

"This is a _bathing_ suit. It's for _bathing_ ," she answered with a very superior sniff.

Finn laughed—but gently, so as not to jostle Poe from his shoulder. It felt good to hold him like this, his muscles slowly unknotting, his weight comfortable in Finn's arms instead of awkwardly tense and far too skinny. "Neither of _us_ is wearing clothes in the bath.”

As the aches and pains receded in the warmth of the bath, the soothing bacta, and his lovers' touches, Poe began to breathe normally again, and didn't grip Finn's arm quite so tightly.

"Y-yeah," he told Rey. "We're both naked. What gives? You better not really be planning to make us wait until our wedding night? Anyway that’s a swimsuit. We're not swimming."

"I _might_. And you're right, we're not swimming. We're _bathing_. Bathing suit," Rey said. She held Poe's feet with a hand under his heels and rested the other on his shins where there were no bruises.

"But I guess I'll humor you, just this once," she said, and left Poe's feet floating on their own, stepping back to peel the wet clothes off and set them to the side of the tub. "How're you feeling?" she asked Poe as she returned to him, noting that his grip on Finn's arm was at least much less white-knuckle than it had been earlier.

Poe let out a low whistle, and it was so good seeing a grin slide across his face that Rey couldn't even be mad. "I'm feeling 100% better, now.”

"Well if that's all it took," she laughed, and smiled past Poe to Finn, sharing a look of relief, and also love and gratitude. She leaned in for a kiss—for Finn, not Poe, though Poe at least got an eyeful. "At least _one_ of my future husbands isn't a pig.”

"Hey, I feel like I've been brought back from the dead, from one look at your breasts. I think an eyeful of Finn's ass would completely heal me."

"Well, that sounds like a problem for you, since I'm holding you up. And anyway, you're supposed to be getting clean. If you're good, we'll even wash your hair for you," Finn said, leaning forward to whisper in Poe's ear a little mischievously. He kissed Poe's cheek while he was there.

Poe was still smiling, and it only faded a bit at Finn's offer.

"What hair?" he said, reaching up to scrub a hand over his surgery-shaved head, and down the scabbing scar on his temple.

"This hair," Rey said, pulling a pinch of his chest hair, rather cruelly for him still being an invalid.

"Ooh! Hey!" he said, but it worked, and he laughed.

"Also I'm going to shave this ridiculous beard off your pretty face," Rey said.

Poe huffed at that, but Finn gasped softly in mock horror.

"Noooooooo, you can't, I love Poe's beard! It's scruffy," he said, and then blushed a little, "and it's really hot..."

To make his point, Finn leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "You have a pretty face no matter what, but it's especially pretty when it's scruffy, is all I'm saying."

He grinned when Rey rolled her eyes at him.

"Can I at least request a neck shave and a trim?" Poe wondered, hoping he could blame his blush on the warm water.

"I don't feel very pretty," he added softly, but tried to smile: "except when you two look at me."

It was slow going, but he was getting better, he was going to be whole and put back together for them again soon. For his kid, and for his dad, and for the Resistance. It just...wasn't happening now. And he was impatient.

"Thank you, guys," he said, as Rey gently moved him and washed him, and Finn tipped his head back against his shoulder to smear shaving gel over his neck.

"Hey, we finally get to spoil you. It's hard to spoil you when you're stuck in medical," Finn replied. Rey handed him the razor and Finn smiled down at him. "Okay no laughing, I don't want to nick you."

Poe nodded, and Finn began to shave the scruffy hair from Poe's neck, shaving as close as he could while being careful not to accidentally cut him. When he'd finished, he washed off the gel.

"Feel better? You look sleepy," Finn said fondly, although it could have been the angle from which he was seeing Poe. His shoulders were relaxed, though, which they hadn't been in so long, and Rey was moving in a slow and gentle way that seemed like she might actually be trying to lull Poe into sleep. She glanced up and smiled at them both.

Poe relaxed into the razor scraping over his throat and cleaning up around his jaw, Finn nudging his chin gently side to side until he was shaven to his satisfaction—and he laughed, as Finn left the rest of the beard. Rey didn't mention the beard again, and her touches were gentle and intimate—without being as invasive as all the other touches from doctors and droids had been.

"I feel...thoroughly spoiled," Poe said, and grinned. "Rey's making me sleepy."

"I'm trying to help you relax," she answered, matching his grin. "Is it working?"

Poe hummed, nodding. "Do you still dream about the island?"

Now it was Rey's turn to blush.

"I—I thought they would go away," she said, playing with the bubbles absently. Finally she revealed, "I don't think it’s the island on Ahch-To."

"I can't see it really clear," Poe said, "when you dream. But it feels good when you think about it."

Poe blinked slowly.

"Yeah, I'm sleepy." But he tensed and grabbed Finn's thigh as he shifted. "But I don't want to go back yet."

Finn touched Poe's hand soothingly and curled forward to kiss his shoulder.

"We won't leave until you're ready to go, even if you fall asleep—unless it gets cold. I'm not up for cold," Finn said. But the bath was being kept warm by the tub itself, so there was little chance of this happening.

"Hey—think you could do some stretching while we're in here and you're relaxed? It'll be good for you," he suggested. It had been one of his least favorite parts of his own recovery, but he remembered Poe helping him—it had made it a little less crappy.

That had Poe perking up, actually. He was tired and drowsy from being comfortable and _clean_ for the first time in too long, but he was also glad to do anything that would mean he was on his feet sooner.

"Yeah—sure. What do I do?"

[I have pre-downloaded a list of exercises] BB-8 offered, surging forward from where they rested near a charging port. [It is best to start with ankle pumps and circles after your hip replacement, Friend-Poe.]

Poe spluttered a laugh.

"Stars, that makes me sound so _old_ ," he said, but that was basically what it was: a hip replacement. "Grandma had one of those a few years ago."

He surrendered his foot to Rey, who started by rolling his ankle in her hands.

Rey laughed as she manipulated Poe's ankle, making it stretch once the joint felt loose and nothing automatically tensed when she moved it. "Your Nana? She's a character. She told Luke he didn't exist, and she was so insistent about it that Luke decided it would be easier to agree with her.”

"How come I haven't met her yet?" Finn asked. She sounded hilarious, if somewhat deranged.

"No, my mom's mom," Poe clarified. "But yeah, Nana's great, too." He grinned back at Finn. "You haven't met anyone because we can't let that many civilians on a secret Resistance base."

"Republic, now."

"Yeah, I'll believe _that_ when I see it. You'll get to meet everyone eventually," Poe promised. He tried moving his ankle now, on his own, with limited success.

"Hey, it moved! Your ankle moved!" Rey said brightly, then put her hand under his lower leg. "Try again!" she demanded, using her grip to steady his leg. "Then we'll do the other one."

She was so enthusiastic and excited that Finn and Poe actually laughed.

"At this rate she's gonna lose her mind when I can actually stand again," he said, and this time put a bit more effort into it, working muscles all the way up his leg that had atrophied from his time in bed. He was tired after a few twitches, but managed some rotations on his own before Rey let him switch, and by then his leg muscles were exhausted. "I just would really like to be better now. Having a robot arm will help. At least part of me will be badass."

"All of you will be badass— _is_ badass—you're just temporarily sidelined," Finn reassured him. He started rubbing Poe's shoulders gently, because here there were still bruises and some healing bones and wounds. He rubbed up the back of Poe's neck and into his short, unevenly cut hair.

"Thanks," Poe chuckled.

"Hey—I know you don't want your hair cut, but would you like it evened up when we get out?" Finn asked as he ran his fingers up the back of Poe's skull, gently avoiding the same wounds they'd avoided while washing it but otherwise using his fingertips to give Poe a good scalp massage.

The massage mostly felt good, because Finn's hands felt good, even if he was sore in some places. The scalp massage felt _great_ , and the places where he was sore still somehow felt better afterwards.

"Does it look bad? Javos somehow manages to get my good side," Poe said, rubbing a hand over his hair, patchy but nearing mid-length. "Maybe before this alleged awards ceremony."

Rey giggled.

"We're not talking about that, remember?" she said, eyeing Finn, who began to get a panicked look. “Definitely not talking about the speech he has to give.”

"Just start with a comparison of the food in the First Order vs. here,” Poe suggested, “make it a joke, like, you would do a lot to rescue the guy who makes you flan, and could suck the chrome off a—"

"There will be _families_ all over the Republic watching this, Poe," Rey reminded him, which didn't help Finn much.

"But no pressure, right?" Finn asked nervously. "But unless Leia tells us about it beforehand, she won't expect much of a speech, because supposedly we don't know it's happening, right? And this is the exact opposite of relaxing."

Finn grumbled, shifting so he could wrap both arms around Poe and hold him lightly. It felt good, even if Poe was still a little too bony through his ribs and sides and back. He watched Rey lazily as she waited for them to stop moving and then carried on, stretching the muscles Poe had just been using with special focus, since they were weak and still inclined to knot up under her fingers.

Poe laughed, completely unconcerned. Leia, who knew Finn better than Javos, knew, like Poe did, that Finn had plenty of brilliant and poignant things to say, and if it was sprung on him, the magic words would _probably_ just bubble up. But now he was forewarned, and would stress about it, and probably still manage magic words.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Poe told Finn, shifting his pale stump of an arm to rest on top of Finn's dark, muscular, _perfect_ arm—and had to look away.

Rey caught the look, and didn't let him waste any time on self-pity.

"Poe. Leg lifts now," she instructed, setting his feet loosely on the floor of the bath and working him through extending and bending his knee a few times.

"Oh, ouch, that's hard," Poe complained, after completing just two of them. It was easier with his right leg, but not much.

"Come on, just a few more," Rey encouraged.

Poe responded by whining outright.

"I mean, we could also do these in the rehab pool," Finn said. "Which isn't as warm. Or private."

"Ugh, you guys are cruel taskmasters," Poe complained, but managed a few more leg lifts.

"No," Rey said, and kissed Poe's brow, "But we do love you."

She allowed him to rest for several minutes, petting his arm idly, and then went back to his legs. "Want to rotate your ankle, or have you had enough?"

"Yes, to both," he said, and Rey laughed. "I can do a few more."

He worked to rotate his ankle with Rey's help, and leaning on Finn's strength, until his eyelids began to droop. "I'm all pruny. But I don't want to leave."

"We can stay," Rey said, sliding in beside Finn to wrap her arms around Poe.

The warmth from their bodies and the naked skin pressed against Poe seemed almost to imbue him with their strength, or maybe he just _liked_ it and it made him feel better.

"Love you," he said, closing his eyes.

"Love you more," Finn mumbled, shifting to rest his head on Rey's shoulder.

Rey found one of Finn’s arms and started gently scratching it, then chuckled softly when he went very still and his eyelids started drooping. They were quiet for a time, but eventually Rey took a deep breath and sighed. "Think we better get out before all of us fall asleep and risk drowning."

Finn stirred and raised his head. "But...but it's nice here.”

"Having been the one to most recently almost drown," Poe piped up, opening his eyes, "0/10, do not recommend. Let’s get out."

[Agreed!] BB-8 piped up worriedly, startling them all, because they forgot they were there. [Do not allow Friend-Poe drown!]

Getting Poe back into his hoverchair was a chore, but it didn't hurt him as much, after all the stretching and relaxing he had done, and by the time they bundled him up into towels and patted him dry, Poe really was about to pass out, jerking awake several times.

"You can sleep," Rey told him with a chuckle.

"And miss the sight of you two wet and naked and spoiling me?" Poe smirked, though he leaned heavily on her hand when she cupped his cheek.

Finn paused to watch this sweet moment between his beloveds, Poe gazing up at Rey like she was his own personal sunshine, and Rey smiling down at Poe like he'd hung the stars in the sky. He loved them so much his heart hurt with it—but a good hurt, now—and he loved that they loved each other, and that they loved him. It made _him_ feel good, that they were here, and safe, and that he could be there for them.

The First Order had tried to discourage this impulse in him, and it would forever be, to Finn, the biggest difference between the First Order and the rest of the free galaxy. Here he was allowed to care. And other people cared for _him_ , here.

(He always thought, sadly, of Slip in these moments, of always being told he shouldn’t try to protect Slip—and knowing, for certain, that Slip never gave a damn about protecting him.)  

"Ah, but we're about to be less naked, sadly," Finn said finally, shaking his head as if to clear it.

He laughed as Poe frowned, watching him pull his clothes back on.

"Fine, screw this, I'm sleeping," Poe said, closing his eyes immediately as if in protest. A scar along his jaw, mostly covered by beard, pulled his smile into a goofy shape, and he looked, somehow, oddly, a lot like their son.

"Let's go get Sammy and lay down," Rey said, either following Finn's thought, or thinking the same.

When they got back to the room in Medical that had become more home than their own quarters, Rey paused in the door and held out a hand to quiet Finn as he nearly tripped on her. She turned to look at him, and she was smiling a tender, sweet smile—the one mostly reserved for Sam. She nodded into the room and Finn looked in over her shoulder.

In the light provided by one of the small standing lamps near Poe's bed, Kes was sitting with Sam, and they were both completely passed out. Sam was laying on Kes' chest, held safe and secure on his grandfather's chest by the man's hands—that, and by gravity, since Kes had reclined the chair.

There was a very soft whirr from the floor and Finn looked down at BB-8.

[I have taken a picture to upload to your lockets] they beeped softly. [Or to use as blackmail.]

Rey very gently touched Poe's shoulder to wake him so he could see the perfect, peaceful scene before both man and child were awakened by their arrival.

Poe took in the scene with a smile for all of thirty seconds before clearing his throat loudly. "Sleeping on the job, old man?"

Kes started up, nearly upsetting the baby, who woke enough to fuss at being awoken.

"Look, you made him _cry_ ," Poe accused.

" _Boy_ ," Kes growled. "You better appreciate my regard for Harter's fine work, or I'd beat you for scaring me like that."

Kes smiled up at Finn and Rey. "Well, he seems more like himself, anyway, jumped-up little shit."

Rey grinned, recognizing the empty threat for what it was—empty—and pushing the hoverchair through the door and to Poe's bed. She left Poe in Finn's capable hands and went to perch on the arm of the chair by her son and almost-father-in-law.

"He stretched some, and there was bacta or something in the water that seems to have helped," she told him as Finn helped Poe from the hoverchair into the bed—the sheets were clean and fresh and had the particular ‘clean fabric’ smell that Rey never got tired of and Finn never seemed to notice. She turned back to Kes, who was still holding Sam against his chest, the baby having gone right back to sleep after being disturbed. "Want me to take over before your arm falls asleep?"

"Mija, my arm fell asleep an hour ago—but yes, if you'd like to take over, I am happy to let you," he told her. He stood and passed Sam into her arms. Predictably, Sam didn't appreciate being awakened again and this time set to fussing in earnest. Rey bounced him gently to soothe him, and eventually he sighed and gave up whining to snuggle against his mama's chest.

Poe grimaced through Finn moving him back into the bed, but Finn pressing a searing kiss to the side of his neck helped. And there was absolutely zero wrong with Finn's strong arms wrapped around him, so much that Poe gave a sharp hiss as Finn drew back—

"What's wrong?" Finn asked, face pinched with worry.

"Ooh, I'm fine," Poe ground out, pretending to pretend to be brave. "I just will have to find a way to go on living...without your arms around me.”

He winked.

Finn laughed and gave Poe another kiss, slow and sweet, on the lips.

"Well, maybe not for too long, at least. I'll be right back," he hummed in his ear. Then he straightened, leaving Poe to get comfortable so he could go change into sleeping clothes. When he returned from the hospital room's attached bathroom, Kes had left and Rey was settling a freshly changed and blanket-snuggled Sam in Poe's lap. They looked so comfortable—he couldn't resist tip-toeing across the floor to settle next to Poe on the bed.

Poe patted Sam sleepily.

"Well, you may have got your arm first, buddy, but you're not gonna beat me walking," he declared, pressing his nose and lips against Sam's soft hair. "Gotta let your old man teach you some things. And I've been training."

Sam made a noise that Poe would take as assent, and he rubbed his back before smiling up at Rey and Finn. 'Thanks' was on the tip of his tongue, but 'thanks' wouldn't quite cut it.

"I really needed that," he admitted softly. "I love you. Thank you," he added, unable to not say it.

Rey got his arm fitted into the protective case and curled in as close as she could, while Finn settled on his other side.

"We love you, too," she said, neglecting the 'You're welcome' because it was as unnecessary as the 'thank you.'

Finn nuzzled against Poe's neck and rested his hand over Poe's on Sam's back. He smiled as Sam's back rose and fell with his breaths. This was good. All three of them were still pleasantly warm from the bath, and Rey was enveloping them with lazy, peaceful thoughts, encouraging relaxed muscles to stay that way for as long as possible so that they might sleep comfortably and sound.

For his part, Sammy was already asleep again, and this time when he was moved, he only huffed a sleepy sigh, content to be tucked into the crib that was mere feet from the bed. When Finn returned to bed, he was yawning widely, and settled right back where he'd been with a content hum.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for dubiously consensual medically-prescribed drug use.

Poe woke completely disoriented. He was awake, but he wasn't able to focus. Nor, really, care, because it took him several moments to realize he was drugged, like, doped up beyond all reason. And he didn't care. Which he knew he _should_ care about.

Only he didn't.

There were people, vaguely floating up above him. They were talking. To him. But he didn't care.

"Well, the good news is, the surgery went well," Dr. Ori told them.

"He's not responding at all," Dr. Kalonia frowned.

"Oh, he's in there. I dosed him good. And I find it's best to start heavily medicated when introducing a new limb, so the patient doesn't over-think it.”

When Finn and Rey were told that Poe was out of surgery, they had come immediately to his room. Both Kalonia and Ori looked up as they quietly pushed the door open, and Ori beckoned them closer.

"Hey, love, how are you feeling?" Rey asked when she reached Poe.

Poe blinked slowly and continued gazing at nothing, vague and unfocused.

She had to stop herself from screeching as she saw Poe lying there in bed looking _whole_ for the first time, and she beamed at Finn—who looked more indignant at Poe's present mental state than she could be bothered to be.

Finn whirled to Ori.

" _What_ in the _hell_ did you do to him?" he asked in a strangled voice. The tone seemed completely lost on the doctor, who clapped Finn on the shoulder.

"He's _fine_ , baby. Just talk to him until he comes around—it shouldn't be long now. Of course, the dose of painkillers we gave him is fairly substantial—what?" he asked, because both Finn and Rey were glaring murder at him. He sighed deeply.

"He'll be  _fine_. Right, Dr. Kalonia?" Dr. Ori said, and Dr. Kalonia nodded.

"He'll be very disoriented and probably confused when he does come around—but there'll be no permanent harm to anything except his pride when you tell Pava about how he drooled all over himself," she reassured them.

Finn narrowed his eyes, but then turned back to Poe.

"Hey, buddy. You waking up yet? Everything okay?" he asked, and gently took the new hand. It felt exactly like a hand should, it was even warm and loose, which was a marvel for a mechno arm. Finn had never realized they could be so true to life.

Rey took his other hand and squeezed it, and sure enough—

"Hey!" she cried as the fingers on both hands twitched in theirs. "He moved! Poe, are you awake, honey?"

"That's a good sign," Dr. Ori said, sounding pleased with himself.

Poe smiled up at Rey and Finn, unsure what they were so excited about. He was warm and comfortable, and they were both here, and he was sleepy, so he tried letting his eyes fall shut.

Finn smiled fondly at the sleepy smile that Poe offered them and touched his cheek.

"Come on, Poe, time to rise and shine. We know you're not really asleep," he told him. "You were so excited about your arm and now you're just going to _sleep_?"

He pressed kisses to Poe's forehead and cheeks and lips. Rey laughed and he straightened to raise his eyebrows at her.

"It's like that story where the prince kisses the—well, I guess prince in this case—to wake him," she told him. "Look, try this: Poe, I heard they made crunchy frog legs in the mess for dinner just for you, and your dad made flan, but if you don't hurry, Snap is going to eat _all_ of it."

His arm? That was important, somehow. But his brain was sludgy. Also frogs legs? His stomach rumbled at the thought.

"I'm awake," Poe protested, but he didn't open his eyes.

"Well, that's good, because we need to run some tests," Dr. Kalonia said, and placed a feather in Finn's palm. "Tickle his neck or face with this—Rey, you hold his right hand."

Rey was already giggling.

"Um—we could test his reflexes a different way?" Finn asked, looking from Rey to the doctor and then to the feather.

"Well, we _could_...but this will wake him up," Dr. Kalonia said.

Ori stifled a laugh—but Rey wasn't even trying.

Then Dr. Kalonia rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Okay, _okay_. None of the other ways are this funny. And I have so few joys in life," she admitted.

Finn thought, and then had to agree with her—and Poe would probably find it hilarious, later.

Very softly, he touched the tip of the feather to Poe's neck, tickling along his jawline as Rey tried, with very limited success, to control her giggling so she didn't accidentally let go of his right hand.

"Mm, stop it, Nana," Poe murmured. "I don't want to pet the chickens."

And he swatted at the feather with his left hand, the limb jacking up so quickly it caught Finn unawares, and he yelped.

Poe opened bleary eyes to the sound of laughter.

"I'm not a chicken leg," he said, very solemnly. "You can't just stick this on and expect it to work. With glue."

He blinked at his hand and wriggled his fingers. A hand? Two hands? Now he was staring back and forth between the two, and Dr. Kalonia, laughing, raised the bed into a sitting position. "Feel like popcorn brain. Ugh. Hungry."

"Popcorn brain?" Finn asked, still laughing, and tickled Poe's nose with the feather. "Dr. Ori says he dosed you up pretty good. Something about getting used to the arm.”

"Yeah but I think Dr. K. talked him into it to watch you hit yourself," Rey stage-whispered, and both doctors laughed.

"Anything hurt? Can you feel anything?" Kalonia asked. She was going to find out what Ori had given the pilot—this was the most quiet and biddable she'd ever seen a post-surgery Poe Dameron.

"Nope," Poe said pleasantly, looking around at him. "Nopers. Negatory. What are we laughing at?"

"Nothing," Dr. Ori said.

Even in medical scrubs he managed to look dapper. Poe wanted to _be_ him.

"Flattered as I am," Dr. Ori said, and Poe realized he must have said that _aloud_ , "I need to see your hand. This is going to sting a little," he warned, but Poe was happy to give over the hand.

"Does it detach?" Poe wondered, as the doctor produced a sharp-looking device and stuck his fingers with it.

"OUCH!" Poe cried, yanking his hand back into his possession.

"You shocked me!" he said, horrified, and looking around for sympathy. "He shocked me!"

But no one else looked like this was a serious problem.

The look on Poe's face was so outrageously betrayed that Finn had to laugh.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. Your _face_ , Poe. But you felt that?" he asked, nodding to the hand that Poe was still cradling to his chest as if it had been wounded.

"I kind of need to make sure it's responding all the way to your shoulder. Don't want a numb arm, after all!" Dr. Ori said brightly from behind Finn.

" _No_ ," Poe grumped, and turned to Finn. "He's ugly and he's not invited to our kitchen sink ever again."

His head swiveled over to Rey, and a pinch of confusion flickered across his face before he smiled.

"Heyyyy. How _you_ doin'?" he asked her. “You single?”

“Poe,” Rey laughed. “No. I’m not!”

“That’s a _shame_ ,” Poe said dramatically.  

While Poe was distracted, Dr. Ori snuck in and tested a few more points up Poe's arm, which made him jump and cry out.

“Ouch! Stop eating me!”

"Okay, okay, easy," Dr. Ori said, restraining the arm. "Those are some good reflexes. Almost too good. Let's immobilize this for, like, a day," he recommended. "While the surgery heals."

"Fugly. And _mean_ ," Poe accused. "Who wears sunglasses inside? Douchebags."

"Poe, no one's wearing sunglasses," Rey laughed, squeezing his right hand to distract him as Dr. Kalonia fit his left arm into a sling.

Dr. Ori, if the comments were directed at him, didn't seem offended in the least. "Yeah, everything looks great! We'll do some more tests when he's fully awake. I think you'll all be impressed at what this bad boy can do."

"Not a bad boy, I'm a _naughty_ boy," Poe corrected, and winked at Finn. " _You_ doing anything tonight?"

As adept as Poe was at flirting when he was fully aware, this skill did not, apparently, translate to anything other than endearingly ridiculous pick-up lines when he was high. Finn found it delightful.

"I have plans to sleep with my really hot fiancée and our really hot fiancé," he joked, figuring he knew how a drugged Poe would take it. More amusing, Poe would be very disappointed later when he found out that Finn literally meant _sleeping_.

"Aw," Poe said, "I’m 0 for 2.”

Finn couldn't actually tell if he was kidding or not.

"Feel free to keep talking to him, or let him sleep it off. Shouldn't be like this more than a few hours," Dr. Kalonia explained. "I wouldn't let him operate heavy machinery or, say, hold a baby for six hours."

"My arm is a heavy machinery," Poe countered, and giggled to himself, blinking slowly.

"And that's why it's in a sling, Commander," Dr. Kalonia agreed.

“And so’s your face.”

"Well, we'll be back to run real tests when he's more himself. If he starts getting anxious about the arm—that happens sometimes—or if he experiences pain, page both of us," Dr. Ori instructed.

"You're pretty," Poe was telling Rey as they left the trio alone. "Will you salsa me?"

"Okay, hot shot, how about if we stay here, and Finn gets to go to his meeting?" Rey asked Poe, and then turned to Finn. "Yes, I know you have a meeting, and Dr. K was going to drag you to it herself if she had to."

Finn gave her a deeply betrayed look. It wasn't that he was avoiding the meeting, _per se_ —he just wanted to stay here, instead.

"Ugh, fine. No salsa-ing without me. Got it?" Finn said to the two of them.

"You are zero fun. Absolutely none," Rey told him. She heaved a long-suffering sigh. "But I _suppose_ we can find something to do in the meantime."

"If I were you, buddy, I wouldn't leave my pretty wife alone with...uh." Poe blinked. "Can we go to the space museum?"

Rey gave Finn a bewildered look. _What space museum?_ "How about we just put on a holo. How about it, Bee?"

BB-8 was so glad to have a vitals tracker in Poe that they would agree to anything, and gladly put on Poe's favorite holo (which they had already watched several times in the past weeks) just to note his heart rate evening out.

Rey kissed Finn and shooed him out.

...

Dr. Kalonia smiled as Finn caught up with her.

"Nice of you to join us," she hummed, and let him hold the door for her to the SRTF meeting.

"Ah, there you are," Kix said, taking his seat. "Please, won't you join us? We have some exciting news."

Finn took his seat and looked to Kix (and Deeks, next to him).

"What's the news?" he asked them.

Kix looked over at Deeks and nodded for him to go ahead.

"We've already got fifty of the new arrivals through psych evals and on duty rotations. We'd like to get them paired with buddies as soon as possible so they can start adjusting to life here," he said, with barely contained excitement.

"Fifty? Like five-zero? Not fifteen?" Finn asked in astonishment.

Deeks grinned brightly and nodded.

"...How? That's amazing, you guys! You sure you _need_ me?" he laughed.

"We're saving the hard ones for you to deal with. Some of them..." Deeks started, and trailed off. For a few moments no one filled in the space, and then Timons, who had started helping with the SRTF when they'd received the sudden influx, spoke up.

"Some of them are even worse off than me,” she said, speaking clinically about herself in a way that was weird to everyone else but normal to her. She still didn't usually look at Finn when she spoke to him, but at least she'd become more accustomed to speaking up in small gatherings like this. And Finn was pretty sure she'd made fast friends with Coni and Connix. She was doing well. “They want to be here, but they don't know how.”

"Ah. Well, we'll work with them. They'll come around in their own time. Is there anything they need that they don't have?"

Timons thought briefly and then shrugged.

"I don't think so—but I'll ask around and try to verify that."

"So, Major Finn, we'll need you to put in a request for, ah, 'buddies,'" Kix said. "I'm not sure what that language would look like or what incentive we can offer the Resistance people for taking on such a partner, but, well, it would of course be best to find ones in areas these people are used to working in. Will the staff and surplus personnel be interested in helping out?"

"I don't see why not," Connix offered.

"Okay. Let's draft it right now and send it out. I want to move on to talking about a few of our problem cases, get your opinion, Major, and your team's. By the way, how's Commander Dameron doing?"

Finn, who had looked down to his datapad to begin drafting a kind of Singles Ad for the occasion, didn't immediately lift his head, so Dr. Kalonia answered: "He's doing well. So far the arm is working perfectly, and he is enjoying being very high on painkillers."

"Well that's it, I'm rounding up the gang," Jessika said, giddy. "Our Commander very likely needs full wing support in this trying time."

“Be nice,” Finn told her, without looking up. “Anyway, you have to stay here, too.”

Finn’s announcement went through a few drafts among the group before they sent it to all personnel, and then talk turned to the hard cases.

"We have a few that didn't make it past our screens. The Republic is establishing detention center just for them, where their needs can be met, and rehabilitation is still a possibility and a priority," Kix informed them. "So we need to know what that should look like. Next, we want help for those troopers who suffer especially crippling post-traumatic stress from their experiences in the Order. And finally, how do we send ex-FO's out into the civilian sector, for those who would prefer that? Any thoughts?"

It turned out they had enough ideas and enough people to split into groups and start lists and form sub-committees. They prioritized help for the traumatized ex-troopers and the detention center, but Finn had some ideas for civilian integration, and by the time they were wrapping up, they'd at least written some of the ideas down to bring to politicians and policy-makers. Responsibilities were parceled out and another meeting was set, and people left in small groups to see to their duties.

What Finn and the others hadn't been expecting was the veritable _crowd_ that had gathered outside the SRTF meeting room. Finn didn't even know the names of everyone here, but Coni was at the front of the line, with Torch.

"We want to help," Coni said.

Finn blinked. "Help with, ah...?"

"You put out a call. For...buddies?" Torch explained. "I know you want apps in writing but we wanted to make sure you knew we _really_ wanted to help."

Torch gestured behind him.

"We all do. I mean, uh, if they won't be put off by the spikes," he said, sheepishly touching his head spikes.

Finn smiled at the group and put a hand on Torch's shoulder. "If they are, they'll get over it—that's partly why they're here, right?"

Coni looked over at the other soldier.

"Yeah, if they're going to be put off by something, it'll be your smelly feet or your bad breath," she told him, which made everyone who overheard laugh.

Finn was glad that Coni seemed to be having one of her good days. They were getting more common, but he still often caught her staring off into space, frowning, or sitting in a quiet corner by herself and turning an old holoprojector over and over in her hands. Finn was pretty sure it was like the lockets, or perhaps a letter Dart had once sent her.

But today she was all smiles, even when her hand went by habit to the pocket where she kept the holo.

"I wrote down a list of names, too—I know you don't know quite _everyone_ in the whole Resistance," she joked with him as she handed over a pad with a scrolling list on it.

"This is...this is a lot of people. I'll look it over and start pairing people. It'll take a few days at least," he cautioned, to buy himself a little time. They'd have to double check that they weren't pairing completely incompatible people, since they'd be roommates as well. No sense in pushing their luck...

Kix smiled, surprised again by the initiative of these soldiers—but he supposed that came with what the Resistance was. These people tended to _volunteer_. They were here because they were not the type of people to just do the bare minimum.

"Thank you," he told them all, nodding.

"Just doing it to impress the living legend, sir," Coni said, with a smile that made it clear she was joking.

"No, seriously, they all just want clean roommates," Jessika teased back.

"Hey, Pava, you don't get to judge. Your room is _spotless_!" another person piped up—one Finn didn't know.

"Please tell me that is _not_ the only reason you all want buddies," Finn said, sounding slightly aggrieved.

Coni patted him on the shoulder.

"No, of course not. We all really do want to help," she said, sounding sincere, and then she grinned wickedly. "That, and some of them are single and desperate," she added, to a chorus of good-natured booing and cat-calling.

"Alright, alright, quiet down. Gonna make you all take the Sexual Harassment course over again. Don't you all have duties or something to attend to?" Finn asked, and after some residual jostling and teasing, the crowd mostly evaporated, leaving Coni and Torch behind.

"You two get to be the unofficial spokespeople for this batch of hooligans," Finn informed them. "As soon as we start getting people paired, I'll let you know. Sound good?" he asked.

His two soldiers nodded.

"Thanks, guys.”

"Squad says to tell you hi, by the way, Major. You should drop by training sometime," Coni told him, and Torch nodded in agreement. Finn smiled at both of them, because he missed his squad, too. They were good people.

"I'll come by soon," he assured them, and they turned to leave. Coni paused momentarily to yell back over her shoulder, "And bring Rey so the new kids can watch her kick your butt!"

"All right," Dr. Kalonia said, checking her chronometer. "That took longer than expected. I'm going to grab a bite to eat, and then I'll page Dr. Ori. The drugs have probably worn off and we'll be ready to run some more tests on Poe's arm. Want to join me or meet me there?"

Finn thought for a moment and then shrugged—they could do without him for awhile longer. Poe was probably asleep anyway. "I'll join you—but we should take food back for Rey and Poe, unless we want to deal with Poe being hungry and grouchy.”

"Yeah, no, let's not do that..." Dr. Kalonia answered—so far, Poe had been a fairly ideal patient, but that couldn't possibly last forever. She wasn't going to push her luck. "But nothing exciting, since we have no idea what that medicine will have done to Poe's stomach..."

"You're getting cabin fever, aren't you?" Dr. Kalonia asked when they sat down to eat. It wasn't that she begrudged Finn's company, but she did find it a little odd that he hadn't rushed immediately back to medical.

"I'm—" Finn started, about to say ‘I'm fine,’ but Dr. Kalonia wasn't being accusatory. If anything, she seemed slightly amused.

"Yeah, I kind of am. Not that I don't want to be there for Poe!" he hastened to add.

"It's just... That room is very small. No offense," he said sheepishly.

"Of course, I understand. I shudder to think what _Poe_ feels like," she said, eating her pudding first, because she was an adult. "Which is why, as soon as he is off the machines and cleared by Dr. Ori, I would like to let him go home."

"Like...back to our room?"

"No," Dr. Kalonia smiled. "Home. I mean Kes' home. I wanted to clear it with you, and Rey, and Kes, first, of course, before I get his hopes up. He's going to need a lot of help and a lot of care for a while yet."

Finn brightened. "Oh, I don't think Kes will mind. We should ask him of course, but he's been here with Sam almost as much as we've been here. He just goes home to sleep. And Rey loves that house. We could go there soon? Really?"

He was excited now that the opportunity had been presented.

"I think in a week or so. When the arm is integrated, and he can stand up, maybe take a few steps on his own. He'll need to use the therapy pool for a few days to build up his strength. You'll have to commute to base, and so will he, for check-ups. But bed rest at home will be much more beneficial than bed rest on base."

Dr. Kalonia smiled, fond of Finn, and all three of them, really. "Do you know, they've done studies, actually, that patients who can see a tree out their window recover 80% faster? I hear the Damerons have a very special one in their backyard."

Finn nodded—he hadn't seen the tree, not in person, but Rey had let him see it from her memories of visiting here.

"Shara got it from Luke, and planted it here when Poe was young. He said they grew up together, him and that tree. And Rey climbed it when she was here and had a vision," he told Kalonia. With kids, he remembered, in addition to Sammy—but she hadn't known how many. "I think it'll be good for him to be near it again. We'll make sure he makes it back for check-ups. Or you'll have an excuse to come visit and eat Kes' food and meet the tree, too."

Kes' food was legendary now, ever since the Resistance had polished off the wedding dinner.

"Sounds good. Just don't say anything until I clear him, or he'll be lying to me every chance he gets," she laughed.

...

"There you are!" Rey cried. "It was starting to be an emergency, how hungry I was! They brought soup for Poe but nothing for me!"

"Rey, I'm not loopy any more, I _could_ have watched Sam while you went," Poe said, and glared. "I am _indignant_ , however. A feather?"

He glowered at Dr. Kalonia.

"It worked, didn't it?" Dr. Kalonia countered, and then excused herself to go find Dr. Ori.

Finn, in the meantime, head relinquished the food to Rey, who looked indecisive before taking all of the food to sit next to Poe's bed.

"You're entertaining when you're that drugged. I think Dr. K is going to keep a stash of whatever he gave you, just for you," Finn said as he went to sit on Poe's other side. "How're you feeling? Anything hurt?"

"Just my pride," Poe said petulantly. "I can't believe you _filmed_ me, Bee. You're the worst droid ever."

[Ooh, ouch, you hurt my droid feelings] BB-8 retorted, [good thing I have forty-nine standard minutes of footage of you being a dumbass to console me.]

Poe glared again, but let it fall away to smile at Finn, who had been handed the baby while Rey ate. "Good meeting? Hey, how do I look?"

He wiggled his fingers and rubbed his shoulder lightly, avoiding the bandages. "Does it look real? I mean, I wasn't aware I had that much _knuckle_ hair, but he says he based it on my right arm..."

"You'd never know it's not your real arm," Finn said, reaching one-handed to touch the fingers on the mechno arm. It was amazing, really—they were normal human body temperature, not cold or lifeless-feeling.

"I think they're going to come back now that you're awake and make sure it's actually calibrated or something. Can't have you accidentally breaking things when you pick them up," Finn said.

Sam, who had apparently become used to the thing on his Papa's arm, was very interested in the sling and the mechno arm, and kept reaching for it.

"I think Sammy approves," Finn laughed as the baby stretched as far as possible toward the sling, and he had to relinquish him back into Poe’s lap.

"Yeah, buddy! We can have a special mechno-arm handshake when you're bigger, huh?"

Sam seemed to agree, chewing on the sling.

"Oh! Hey! And we learned a new trick, hang on," Rey said, scooping Sam up and laying him on his back at the foot of the bed.

Sam immediately began to fuss and make soft baby grunting noises, limbs flailing.

"Aw, Rey, look, he's upset, we were just—" Poe protested, but it died on his lips as, with a mighty heave, Sam overturned himself and got onto his belly, even lifting himself up on hand and mechno-arm.

"What!" Poe cried in delight. "My little man can roll over? That's all he was waiting for was the arm? Buddy!"

Sam seemed very pleased at everyone's happy faces and clapping, so he rolled back over—and nearly off the bed, except Rey was ready to catch him.

"Oh no, he's going to do that all the time now. We're going to have to build barriers on everything," Finn said with a sort of slowly dawning horror. But currently, Sam was perfectly safe, having been set back down on the bed. He babbled and waved his limbs around a little, not seeming to want to roll over so much as flail. His mechno-arm encountered his foot and he grabbed for the limb, then kicked happily when he caught it. "Yes, that's your foot! Did you catch it? Look at you, buddy!"

Finn laughed as Sam stuffed his fingers in his mouth.

Poe grinned, bursting with pride so much that he hardly noticed Dr. Kalonia returning with Dr. Ori.

"How're my patients, then?” Dr. Ori asked. “Handsome as ever, the pair of them, look at this kid, already knows what he's doing. How's the diagnostics on the prosthetic look, Mr. BB-8?"

BB-8, flattered to be asked their opinion, was almost too startled to respond: [All new systems are updated, blood flow to the elbow is within normal parameters, and feeling and movement are normal. The vitals tracker is working very well, and I can report Friend-Poe is back to usual mental capacity.]

Poe laughed. "Yeah, look. Anything I said while—"

"Commander, relax," Dr. Ori laughed. "Now let's check out the specs. You'll have to give it a few days for peak capacity, and your own shoulder muscles should adapt as you get your strength back, but we've given you titanium bone grafts all the way up, so you're full cyborg here," Dr. Ori demonstrated, opening up a panel on Poe's shoulder.

Rey and Finn's heads touched as they peered in, finding organic matter next to what looked like a circuit board.

"I can give you the manual, though I'm sure Mrs. Gearhead over here could guess at most of this."

"Uh, Rey, baby, I would rather we read the manual than you guessing," Poe said. "If I get a vote."

[I already have downloaded and processed the manual] BB-8 warbled.

"Good, good. Down here are the all-mechno bits," Dr. Ori went on, closing and sealing the shoulder-window before removing Poe's arm from the sling and opening a panel along his forearm. "Here's where we make the rest of the calibrations. Can you squeeze this ball for me, Commander?"

Poe refrained from making that into a dirty joke, and squeezed obediently, feeling mechanics and muscles work all up his arm, just like he would feel his own muscles move. He laughed. "Dude, that is so _weird_!"

Rey leaned close to the panel to watch the mechanics of the lower arm in motion.

"This is beautiful," she said, and then realized that Dr. Ori couldn't see with her in the way. "Uh, sorry," she told him, but he waved off her apology.

"Like I said, I'm sure you could figure it all out without a manual," he laughed, and pointed out some important parts within this part of the arm for Rey to note.

"Okay. Watch this little wire right here," he said, and took the ball from Poe's hand. "Touch your first finger to your palm," he told him, and when Poe did, Rey brightened as the wire went taut.

"Good, keep it there for a moment," Dr. Ori said as he looked at his holopad and adjusted something. Rey heard a small, almost musical whir.

"Poe! This is so great! Can you hear it doing that?" she asked in excitement, and Finn smiled. This was the most excited he'd seen her in awhile—if Poe wasn't careful, she was going to recalibrate his arm while he was sleeping just to have a chance to play with it.

"You like that? Baby, _this_ you've got to see."

Dr. Ori got a wild look in his eye at Rey's excitement, and lifted the ball from Poe's grip to replace it with a short length of pipe. It was heavy, and felt metallic, and Poe marveled that he _could_ tell what it felt like—gauge texture, temperature, imperfections in the metal. His false fingernails scraped over the pipe, just this side of weird but at the same time massively cool, and he grinned.

"Okay, give that a squeeze."

Poe laughed, and squeezed. It was as unyielding as he expected, though watching 'muscles' bulge and gears shift as he gripped the pipe was amazing. "Uh, yeah, okay?"

"Now, I want you to squeeze it hard. You should have to try very hard to switch it over to—ah, there!" Dr. Ori cried, as something seemed to give and the pipe collapsed like Poe was suddenly squishing a ball of clay.

"What the—!" Poe cried, dropping it, expecting some trick, like the metal would fold over his knee. He picked it up with his other hand to be sure, but, nope. Still a solid lump of metal. Now with _fingerprints_ stamped into it.

Rey jumped when the pipe dented, and both she and Finn leaned forward to look at the fingerprints. Then they both looked at Poe.

"What was _that_?" Rey asked, not sure if this was awesome or terrifying or maybe both. She reached over and touched Poe's mechno hand, brushing gentle fingertips across his palm and pausing when their fingertips were touching. She pressed his fingers down softly, but it was no easier or harder than she would have expected.

"How did you do that?" she asked, looking between Poe and the doctor.

"I don't want that!" Poe cried. "I'll kill somebody!"

"No, no, you won't," the doctor soothed. "You have to _really_ try, grip it for a long time. I can make that threshold a little steeper, if you want, between a firm grip and—"

"Yeah. Much steeper. Much harder," Poe said. "That's scary and weird. And a little bit awesome, but, stars and skies, I’ve got a _kid_!" Poe accused.

Dr. Ori shrugged as he made some adjustments. "I guess you don't want to see the flamethrower, then?"

"THE _WHAT_?"

"Just kidding, man. That was a joke. It was BB-8's idea. Kidding! Seriously, man, there's no flamethrower. There _is_ a place where you can attach one, though, lookie here..."

Dr. Ori turned Poe's arm over and folded his fingers in. "Now you'll feel little ridges under your palm, just here, you can fit up to three attachments. Right now I've got a pen light, a small knife, and a hydrospanner. I don't know what you starship jockeys need, though, so you could throw a basic Antilles wrench in there, I dunno. Who doesn't need a light?"

Poe watched three attachments slide out the back of his hand. It looked like it was supposed to hurt, but it didn't.

"Knowing me, though, that light’s going to go off in my face when I'm trying to sleep," he laughed. "No, but it's cool, man. Hydrospanner's perfect, I always need one."

"And it's still fully customizable. And when you're on your feet we can watch you do one-armed handstands like your Jedi girlfriend."

"Okay. Wow."

"Not that I'm glad you got injured—I'm really not, and I wish I could kill them deader than they are—but I like your new arm," Rey told Poe. She wanted to tinker with it, and follow all those little wires and find how it worked and where machine met man. She wondered if this was how Finn felt when he spent long minutes tracing the intricate lines of Poe's tattoos all over his body.

"Will you let me make you attachments for it, once you're used to it and know what you need?" she asked, almost a little sheepishly. Leave it to her to get all excited about a mechno arm—though she was certain it wouldn't have been as amazing on a random person. It was because it was _Poe's_ mechno arm.

"Uh, yeah!" Poe laughed, a bit confused, fond, and flattered all at once. Having Rey's attention like this almost made it all worth it (of course anything was going to be worth it if he really got to fly again, after that stunt he had pulled). "You and BB-8, go to town."

"Is there a power-down button?" Rey asked, and if Poe didn't know any better, that was her hungry face, the one she got when she had Poe or Finn or both of them handcuffed to the bed...but it was probably just wishful thinking due to the medically-restricted dry spell.

"Not a button, no. But a code, yes. An emergency shutdown, in case anything goes wrong—not that _any_ of my mechnos have ever had as much as a bad day," Dr. Ori boasted, completely missing the glint in Rey's eye, if there even was a glint.

"All right, all right, if we're done here, I'd like my patient to eat a hearty meal and get to bed," Dr. Kalonia instructed, "so he can get in the pool tomorrow. Finn, Rey? Any volunteers? Want me to ask Kes?"

"Do I get a vote? Please do not ask Kes," Poe whined.

Finn and Rey both laughed at this and Rey rested her hand on Poe's wrist.

"One or both of us can go, certainly. Kes, I think, will be very happy taking care of Sam," she said, nodding to the baby, who had quieted and was watching everything with a sleepy kind of fascination. He didn't look truly tired yet, but he was getting there. As soon as he ate, he'd be out cold.

"The food's still warm, at least," Finn said. He looked down at Sam and touched his cheek. "You want to eat with Papa? I bet you do. I'm surprised you aren't yelling to be fed yet."

He passed Sam to Poe so he could go heat a bottle.

"Come here, kiddo," Poe said, reaching for Sam with one arm before remembering he had two at his disposal now, and then hesitating. "Hey, look, I'm not gonna crush my kid's head like a stick of butter if I hold him, right?"

"No chance," Dr. Ori confirmed. "I've already decalibrated the handstrength gauge, and you can kick it back up if ever you like. _But_ I do still want this bad boy in a sling for a few days, so, here we go."

"There goes my plans to start knitting again," Poe sighed. The half-finished blanket had gone up with _Black One_ , so he had a lot of work ahead of him, now that he had two hands, but he suffered himself to let the doctors manhandle him into a sling before he was given his son again.

"Okay, bucko," he said, pinning Sam close to his chest as the boy tried to practice his rolling again, and he got thwacked in the hand by Sam's frustrated prosthetic. "Oof! Guess there's a learning curve for both of us."

Poe looked up at Dr. Ori and Dr. Kalonia.

"Thank you," he said. "It's—I— _thank you_."

"Just doing my part for the Resistance and good publicity," Dr. Ori said, and winked.

Poe laughed. At least he was honest.

Rey returned with a bottle and Finn opened up the containers of food, and Poe was glad to eat while Rey fed Sam.

"So, rehab pool. By all rights Finn should be there because that's only fair, but I don't know if you have meetings. That goes for both of you, I guess."

Rey sighed. "Yeah, I'm screening stormtroopers a lot of the day, when I'm not here. Visiting the outdoors for a bit."

Poe sighed. "Man, I used to think Yavin was a backwater piece of crap, and now all I want to do it go lie outside in the heat and humidity and let myself melt there. Guess I missed it."

"Maybe after you've had some successful sessions in the therapy pool," Kalonia said, leaving the 'if you behave yourself' unspoken. They all knew this was part of the deal.

"Looks like it's you, then, Finn. You both remember Sal, I'm sure—that's who you'll be working with, at least initially. You should be there by 0900," she told both of them.

"Rey, let me know if anyone needs a second opinion on the stormtroopers. I know Dr. Lan is helping, but if I can be additional help, I'm about out of patients to tend here," Dr. Kalonia said, and then she was bustling off to see to something else. Finn went to shut off the overhead lights and Rey switched on the lamp next to Poe's bed. It made the room feel cozy, rather than sterile.

"Sam asleep yet?" Finn asked. Rey shifted the bottle in his mouth, and Sam made a soft complaining baby noise before settling to sleep.

"I'd say so," Rey said fondly. Now that she was done eating, she took baby and bottle from Poe, and held him for awhile just to rock him (also to see if he needed to be burped) and watch his sweet, sleeping face.

When Poe finished eating and Finn was cleaning up and getting ready for bed, Rey laid Sam in his crib and stretched, yawning.

"He's such a good kid," Poe mused, struck to the core at how _perfect_ his life was right now. After what they had been through, and in spite of what they had lost. And it was only going to go up from here.

He jerked his head at Rey and Finn.

"Come here," he said, opening his arm for them to curl into bed with him.

"I love you two so much. Thank you, for being here with me. Thank you for being with the Resistance, and with each other. The galaxy doesn't deserve—ah ah!" he said, silencing what looked like a protest. "This is the truth, and if you love me, you'll listen, you'll say, 'You're welcome, Poe,' and you'll take it. The galaxy doesn't deserve you. And somehow I've got you. And you've got me—though, seriously, I've got the better deal here. So: thank you, and I love you."

Rey smiled.

"You're welcome, Poe," she answered, and then, because she just couldn't follow the rules: "I'll always love you for your mechno-arm."

Poe cackled.

"'He's more machine now, than man,'" he said, in a bad imitation of Obi-Wan Kenobi from the _Luke Skywalker Adventures_. "Which is kind of ableist, now that I think about it. Good thing I'm not Force Sensitive enough to go darkside, right?"

"You're just fine, and I love you too. Both of you, my loves," Finn hummed. Poe's injuries were slowly healing. They had reached the point where Finn could gather Poe closer without hurting him, and he did so now, reaching over Poe to include Rey as well.

"How's everything else feeling? Your ribs and everything, since we're going to swim tomorrow. I don't want to hurt you," he said, nuzzling Poe's neck.

"I'm fine, buddy, and I wasn't fishing for compliments. You guys are the heroes, and that's cool. I'm happy to be the love interest, or the plucky sidekick," Poe grinned.

"You are kind of a damsel in distress," Rey said. "Like, consistently. That's a thing that happens a lot."

Poe guffawed, and had to clutch at this ribs. "It's how I flirt. Get captured by the enemy, requiring rescue. How else am I supposed to meet people—with my job?"

He leaned into Rey and Finn, resting his head on Rey's shoulder. "I'm excited to get in the pool tomorrow. For the change of scenery if nothing else."

"Good. Remember you said that when Sal makes you do something hard," Finn advised, from experience. He was quiet for a time, just listening to the quiet and to four quiet breaths. Rey reached over Poe and found Finn's arm, which she started scratching softly.

"I think it's time for sleep," she said fondly as Finn blinked slowly. Poe smiled as well.

"Bee, would you turn the lights off please?" she asked, and the droid beeped softly before all the lights in the room flicked off. "Thanks, buddy.”

Finn was asleep within minutes, no match for the gentle arm scratches, and Poe wasn't far behind, his chest rising and falling more slowly as his breathing deepened. Rey's hand stuttered and stilled several minutes after that, and she sighed deeply, giving in finally to relaxation and sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Singer wants us all to take time out of reading and writing about fighting space nazis to keep it real by reading this [this](http://www.cracked.com/blog/why-every-terrible-person-thinks-theyE28099re-hero/).


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a nice interlude of old people doing old people things.

"Fashionably late, as always," Harter Kalonia said, opening the door for Leia, Chewbacca, and Threepio. "It'll be nice to have another woman to talk to."

"Mistress Kalonia, how pleasant to see you!" the droid greeted, and he waved to Master Kes, Master Luke, and Master Wedge, one of whom was bustling about the kitchen, and two of which were cuddled on the very well-worn couch.

Kes greeted the General with his usual animation. "Sit down, sit down, Leia. Chewie, buddy! Make yourselves a drink or two. Was just telling the doc here that that couch is going, sorry I don't have better furniture yet. We'll have room to put the hospital bed, a pair of bars, anything Poe needs."

"Do _not_ let a Pathfinder mix your drink," Luke warned, quite happily.

Wedge looked annoyed, and R2 said something rude.

"Don't let Chewie do it, either," Lando recommended, coming out of another room with two more bottles of liquor. "Who's having an Old Republic with me?"

Kalonia laughed and refused a drink for what had to be the third or fourth time that night. Kes was badgering her about it good-naturedly, mostly because he knew he wasn't going to badger her into anything. Leia traded a smile with her and turned to Lando.

"I'll join you," she told him, and from the couch her twin shouted a "Me, too!"

"You already have a drink, Luke," Wedge said softly, and Luke frowned.

"You want it?" he asked his friend. Leia saw a ghost of a smile cross Wedge's face before he went back to his usual dour frown.

"Not especially," he answered.

Luke shrugged, accepting this, and Lando made only two Old Republics. Leia tasted hers and made a face.

"Force, Lando, is there _anything_ other than alcohol in this?" she asked.

"Mmmm, not really, no," he answered, and hummed appreciatively after he'd tasted his.

Kes laughed as he continued to get the buffet line ready, and Lando appeared at his elbow with another glass.

"Yours is empty, I see."

"Buddy," Kes said, but laughed and accepted the glass. "I'm telling your wife. Aren't you supposed to lay off the sauce?"

"I'm also supposed to lay off the fat," he said, as Kes withdrew from the oven a pan of rolled enchiladas, swimming in cheese.

"Ah, well. There's salad to go on top?"

Lando looked at him. "Maybe we just don't tell her."

"Better plan."

"So, Leia," Harter said, sitting on the arm of the chair next to Wedge, in full gossip mode. "How's _Amilyn_?"

Leia groaned and put her face in her hands. "She is a fucking disaster."

Everyone laughed: Wedge actually hooted.

"But things are getting done. Deso is actually being decent. We're...integrating, but she's fighting me every step, and wants to put in her own people, who usually know nothing about the job. Typical politician."

Lando smiled as he slung an arm around her. "I hate to see what you'd have been like in a more peaceful era."

Leia elbowed him. "Wouldn't be friends with you."

Chewbacca laughed loudly.

"Would too. You'd get bored," Luke argued.

"Pfff. You know I was a princess while you were farming water on a sand pit," Leia countered.

[I agree with him! Scoundrels keep life interesting!] Chewie commented, and also received a high five.

"Oh I see how it is, invite me to dinner and stage a mutiny," Leia laughed.

"Speaking of mutiny," Kes said, arriving, and then stopped. "Actually that was a terrible segue. But dinner is served, and whether it's by rank or by beauty, my dear, you're first..."

Chewie growled in annoyance.

"Yes, Chewie, you go last, because if we go by age, you go first, second, and third, old friend!" Kes laughed, but _he_ was, of course, actually last in line, making sure everyone had full plates before he sat down around the large table with him.

Leia moaned at the first bite, and sat back. "Kestrel Dameron," she said—that was an old joke— "how have I lived so long without your enchiladas?"

"Beats me. We have a whole Rebellion base in our back yard, that’s been ready to use this whole time." Kes grinned, and bowed his head. "Thank you, Princess, for gracing my table with your presence."

Leia gave him a look, and then sent one at Lando. "You're encouraging him!"

"Me? I would never!" Lando responded, placing one hand very dramatically over his heart. "I'm shocked you would make such unfounded accusations."

He smiled brightly at Leia, and she shook her head fondly before taking another bite of enchilada.

"Kes, what are the chances of you teaching one of your children to make these?" she asked.

Kes laughed and accidentally gestured with a fork full of rice.

"Whoops," he said, unconcerned, "Poe knows how to make these. He's made them for Rey and Finn. But he does tend to be a bit picky about the ingredients." And not all of them were so easy to come by—which probably meant he cooked these only rarely.

"Rey isn't picky. You could teach her," Luke suggested, tripping over his words just slightly. Of all of them, he was always the first to actually sound drunk, and Leia grinned as Chewie surreptitiously switched his full glass for Luke's half-empty one. The Wookie wouldn't get her brother so drunk he got sick, but he would certainly get him drunk enough to stop carrying the weight of years behind that gentle, reassuring presence.

"Not sure she wants to be taught anymore," Luke admitted, and then his eyes grew exaggeratedly wide, as if he was _performing_ that hadn't meant to say that. "I mean Jedi stuff. Not sure what there is left to teach her, but—I can't until, well, until Poe's healed up and they're married. I mean, she's _already_ doing better than me. I ran away for ten years after I lost Mara—"

Luke's chin wobbled, and Wedge pulled him into a hug while he got himself together. Luke was an emotional drunk.

"I think that's a good idea," Leia said. "I haven't seen Finn outside of an SRTF meeting, so I've basically cut him from the duty roster. Ancestors know I'm going to have an overly full one once they send me all these new officers."

Leia rolled her eyes.

"Poe's going to have to go through the basic physical again before I can clear him," Dr. Kalonia said quietly. "And I think he knows it, so he's been working very hard."

"We can keep him on it here, doc," Kes said. "You bring anything you need, or I'll get it, or make it."

"That's settled. As soon as the awards ceremony happens, I'm giving them an involuntary leave of absence. At least they'll stop eating my food," Leia said, though looking at Kes said she didn't think that would kill them.

"All right, did I really just come to a dinner party to talk about _the kids are alright_?" Lando complained.

"Good question," Wedge said.

"Definitely not... But it was bound to happen," Kalonia said. "But I think the real question here is if anyone knew they're currently filming a live-action holo of the Luke Skywalker adventures."

There was a long pause as everyone realized what she'd just said.

"Wait, _what_?" Leia asked, while Lando howled with laughter and Kes thumped a dumbstruck Luke on the shoulder.

"Why would they dooo that to meeee?" Luke asked, hiding his face in Wedge's shoulder as he laughed.

"Don't make me put on the Life Day Special after dinner," Kes laughed, waving a hand. "Here, look, who wants seconds. Chewie? I was just kidding, man, there's a whole nother pan in the oven!"

"Anyone else want another drink?" Lando offered.

"Oh, no, you don't. We're moving my son home tomorrow, and I can't be setting a bad example for him!" Kes laughed.

"Technically, I think leaving a perfectly good Old Republic un-drunk is the _worst_ example," Lando responded from where he was already mixing several drinks. He handed one to Kes.

[Lando! The family’s still on Bespin?] Chewie asked when another of the drinks was handed to him. He continued without receiving an answer. [I heard gossip of a new boloball complex there—have you seen it?]

"Yeah, in Cloud City? It's done! That's why the missus couldn't be here, seeing as how she's the owner," Lando said with a wink. "And the kids thing boloball's more exciting than the Resistance, so..."

"Hey, I thought we weren't talking about kids," Wedge protested.

"Okay, so if you're making Poe and them take a vacation, does that mean _you're_ going to take a break ever?" Kes asked, adding a sopapilla to Leia's plate.

Leia scoffed at this. "We've seen what happens when I leave a base to its own devices, and I wasn't even taking a vacation! No, Kes, I'm here for the duration. But when we win—and we will win—I wouldn't count on finding me for at least two months.”

[Where are you going?] Chewie asked in concern, and Leia smiled at him.

"Now, that would defeat the purpose of disappearing. But I suppose some interfering busy-bodies will insist I not go alone." She sighed dramatically and looked pointedly at Luke.

"So I _guess_ you should come with me, Chewie. If you can—won't Malla and Lumpy be missing you?" she asked in concern. She liked Malla.

[No—well, maybe. But they would understand. Or we could visit them] Chewie suggested.

"Some of us could escort you, Princess. General. Sorry," Wedge said.

"Not sure I'd know what to do with myself," Leia said, staring off into the distance.

"Maybe if I..." she began, and then looked around her, and shook her head. "Okay, I'm talking too much. Make me another," she demanded, waving her glass at Lando.

"The kids want to visit Kashyyyk again," Lando said, having brought the liquor to the table so he didn't have to get up to make more drinks. "We could all go."

Luke nodded so suddenly that it made Wedge jump. "Yes. I like Kashyyyk. We should all go there.”

"Oooookay, twin of mine, that's enough for you," Leia told him, but was unsuccessful at trying to get ahold of his drink while not spilling hers.

"Too slow," he told her, and finished the drink in two swallows. Wedge took the empty glass and set it aside, since Leia had given up. Harter slid an amused look to Kes while Lando and Chewie both pretended the leader of the Resistance and last Jedi Master weren't squabbling over whether or not Luke should have another drink.

"When the war's over. Or when I can trust the Republic to handle it—which is not going to be immediately. When all these stolen stormtroopers are...hey," Leia said, recognizing that this was going to be nicer to talk about:

"Guess what that Timons is doing? Maybe Javos talked her into it but the Galaxy Beacon is going to start a column of Want Ads for parents who lost their kids to the First Order, and stormtroopers who want to find their parents—along with a DNA database that people can access to find each other. She built the software herself and it's just—" Leia stopped, getting too emotional to go on.

"Fuck! I hate when you get me drunk and vulnerable like this!" she laughed, wishing that somehow her son might turn up among the brainwashed stormtroopers and that monster Kylo Ren would turn out to be someone else's kid.

"You've done good by her," Harter said, and gave Leia's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "She's getting better. There'll always be little things, with her, but she's far exceeded what either Lan or I expected when she got here."

Timons was a tough young woman, under that sweet, shy, damaged exterior. Harter continued: "I imagine she will do that project until it is done to death—but in a good way! Not like she's obsessed or anything, she's just very determined."

They were quiet for a moment, all of them, and then Lando spoke up. "Okay this is crazy but _what if_ we set up a transgalactic transport system for anyone who thinks they might have a stormtrooper kid, and wants to come here, or wherever we end up holding them, to check?”

“Sounds like they targeted a lot of poor rim colonies who wouldn’t be noticed, so we could arrange to get them there and home so they wouldn't have to worry about the cost," Wedge said, unexpectedly enthusiastic.

Luke side-eyed him, wondering if his stoic friend had snuck some alcohol while pretending not to.

"A good plan, but we need the Republic behind it," Leia said. "Goodwill won't buy that much starship fuel."

Lando squeezed her hand. "My dear, that's why the Maker sent _you_ to us, and made you such a fierce negotiator."

Leia huffed. "I'm mostly good at pissing people off. The— _Javos_ , now she's doing a lot of good. The public likes what we're doing, even if Holdo doesn't. Politicians are finding it hard to ignore their constituents when they're this vocal. An embarrassing number of people are coming out of the woodwork now, talking about First Order raids stealing children, and how they were ignored."

Leia looked around her, as if to make sure no one was listening in. "A lot is riding on this Awards Ceremony, and how it looks."

"Oh, well, that's fine then. We'll make sure there's a huge crowd and lots of supportive yelling and shouting in all the right places. Easy!" Lando said.

Chewie roared in agreement—he could be a cheering section all by himself if he wanted to.

"And of course it will all be very formal, and Javos will take impressive photos and everyone will love the Resistance and our brave soldiers. They already like the ex-stormtroopers, thanks to the testimony they gave," Lando continued.

Leia smiled. She wished it were that simple, though she wasn't going to rain on everyone's parade. Still, the alcohol was helping her to believe it.

"Hey, hey, now we're talking about _work_ ," Kes complained. "So unless you want to hear about how we haven't had enough rain this year and I need more help bringing the harvest in, we should at least talk about the wedding and how you're going to allow the whole Resistance base off for the day."

"That's easy." Leia hid a grin behind her Old Republic. "We make the Republic boys and girls be on duty."

"I like the way you think," Lando told Leia, and she gave him a small nod. "But what if they blow it up?"

"Blow up...the...Resistance?" Leia asked. "In the amount of time it takes for a wedding and a reception?"

Harter glanced around urgently for something made of wood—the table—and hammered on it.

"It's too late, already jinxed," said Wedge, and he and Luke both made an old pilot's sign of protection.

Lando shook his head at the superstition, though a pilot himself. Though maybe that was why he lost the _Falcon_ in that bet, all those years ago, he mused to himself. But in his old age he was beginning to think that that _was_ lucky, in the long run.

(The _Falcon_ was a piece of shit, actually.)

"All right, all right, who's going to help me with dessert?" Kes asked, getting up to clear the dishes.

Everyone perked up at the mention of dessert, and there was a general migration back toward the kitchen.

"Did you make flan?" Lando asked, and Kes shook his head.

“Better than flan: natillas!" he announced as he removed a bowl from the fridge and set it out on the counter. Lando and Luke both looked highly dubious of the idea that anything could be better than flan, but Leia was all for it—if Kes Dameron had made it, it was bound to be delicious. Kes spooned the pudding into bowls and passed them around before nodding to Leia to try it first.

"What is this, a birthday party? I don't know what the rest of you are waiting for," she told them before digging into hers.

The pudding was sprinkled with some sort of spice, and Lando and Luke already had some in their beards—Chewie, who had hair all over, however, actually managed to be a dainty eater.

"Oh Force, this is terrible, just terrible," Luke said, drunkenly spooning more pudding into his bowl.

"We definitely need another bowl," Wedge agreed. "This one is all wrong. There's not enough!"

Kes only laughed. "That's all you get, you greedy slobs!"

"Okay, okay, you have to share!" Leia told her brother. She reached over and snatched the bowl up so she could place it between herself and Lando.

Chewie and Harter took seconds, as well, but Kes declined.

"No, my friends, I can make this for myself any time—but I don't often get to share it with old friends," he said, and his smile was kind, and perhaps a bit bittersweet. He did love his life, and of course he had family, and many friends besides... But it was occasionally nice to be with friends who'd fought alongside him.

"Yeah, you could have emphasized 'old' a little less," Lando grumped, and knocked back his glass. "Well, that was a _fine_ meal, my friend. I think we've just about finished planning the rest of the war."

"Yeah. They should put us in charge," Luke agreed with a giggle.   

"Where are you getting so much booze? You're too old for this shit," Wedge said.

"I'm using the Force," Luke responded with a completely straight face. "Also stop being grouchy. We all know you better than that.”

Wedge raised his eyebrows at him, amused.

"Uh huh. Okay, buddy, you just uh... Here's some water, huh?" Wedge responded.

[All right, let's help the man with his dishes] said Chewie, somehow the voice of reason.

Luke tried to go with him, but he was a little wobbly. Wedge pressed him gently back to his seat.

"Stay there, we don't need you hurting yourself," he said.

Luke blinked at him and nodded.

"You too, Kes. You cooked, we clean, sorry, I don't make the rules—except I kind of do," Leia said, giggling, and she leaned on Harter's shoulder for better balance—though the way Harter was swaying just slightly, the extent to which this was an improvement was debatable.

"This is a good rule," Kes said, chuckling to himself. He turned to R2-D2: "Should I tell them there's a droid for that?"

R2 shook his head and whistled low.

Kes had to distract Luke from alcohol with a game of sabacc, and both of them were laughing by the time the rest of them returned.

"I think he owes me his clothes," Kes said, weeping with laughter. "What do I want with Jedi robes? Anyway, you need those. You're not ruining my daughter's wedding by giving her away in the nude!"

"Nooooo I don't, I won!" Luke said. He was definitely pouting, which only made Kes laugh harder.

"Kes, breathe!" Leia laughed. She sat down next to him and patted his shoulder while he dried his eyes and got his giggles under control.

"But—oh, Force, I'm drunk," Luke said with a confusing sort of self-awareness as he stood. He wobbled unsteadily and then Wedge was at his side.

"Antilles, don't tell me you've been holding out on me all these years! You've had three of these! Those! Drinks!" Lando yelped, because Wedge was, to all appearances, completely sober.

[I've had five] Chewie observed as he walked up behind Lando.

"You're all ridiculous," Harter added with the air of a woman who was beginning to worry that tonight might end with some of their number revisiting their delicious dinner in a decidedly less-than-appetizing way.

"All right, here," Kes said, going into the kitchen and pouring a bright blue drink, diluting it with water in a pitcher, and bringing it out to the table. He hid the rest of the booze. "Dameron hangover cure. Drink up."

"Apparently Wedge doesn't need it," Lando huffed.

"Oh, I'm still taking it," Wedge responded.

Apparently, they were both _very_ drunk, but neither showed it at all, except in a slight slurring of Lando's speech, and a slight listing to one side of Wedge's head.

Leia reached for the blue liquid as well, though she eyed it suspiciously before tasting it. "Why is it blue?" she asked.

"Because I like the blue kind," Kes answered. He was already halfway through his own glass. "Go on, General, you'll like it."

Leia considered for another few moments, then shrugged and took a sip. "Well, it's not bad. I'm not sure it's good...but it's not bad."

"This is sugar-water with some salt and flavor in it," Harter stated as she drank her own glass, and Kes raised his glass to her, because she was mostly correct. "But actually that makes sense. See, alcohol dehydrates you and sugar and salt and water..."

Though she didn't have more than half of anyone's attention, she was drunk enough to not care that no one was really getting all of her extended explanation about electrolytes and dehydration.

Kes grinned and toasted the good doctor, and the party moved towards saying their goodbyes. They stopped to chat _several_ times, and the droids were in charge of all the driving.

[They should _always_ put us in charge of that] R2 bit out, but everyone except C3PO ignored him.

“You know, old friend, I couldn’t agree more! Space travel would be much safer this way!”  

They stalled out when it was discovered that Luke had lost his shoe—"What are you, five?!" Wedge demanded—and couldn't leave until it was found buried in the couch cushion.

"Ugh, leave that on the couch to be taken away with the rest of the garbage," Lando whined. "Seriously, those are the boots I saw you wearing thirty years ago!"

"I could mind-trick you all into respecting me," Luke said petulantly.

[You wouldn't do anything like that with the Force. We all know. Even drunk, you wouldn't] Chewie said, and ruffled Luke's hair affectionately enough to nearly knock him over. [...You really are drunk.]

Wedge took over Luke-guiding duties, holding his arm out so Luke could take it and hopefully not walk into a wall. Kalonia and Leia were similarly half-leaning on each other (and giggling at nothing). Chewie and Lando brought up the rear of their little party and required no leading, although Chewie did rest one massive hand heavily on Lando's shoulder for a moment.

"You old softie," Lando laughed, and Chewie rumbled in acknowledgment. "Yeah. I'm glad you're here, too.”

"Drive safe now, R2," Kes admonished. "Call me when you get back to base, 3PO?"

"Master Kes, you know very well that military protocol..."

"Yeah, yeah, okay. You worry too much, my friend," he told the golden droid.

[You're telling me] R2 said, settling himself into the speeder so he could drive, and 3PO made sure everyone was wearing a seatbelt.

"We will call about bringing Poe over," Harter said.

"I'll make room for them," Kes promised. A warm, light drizzle started up. "And you guys better take off, before this turns into a real downpour."

Everyone shouted drunken goodbyes, and Kes laughed and waved, ducking inside as the rain started in earnest.

He sighed, looking with satisfaction around his post-dinner-party home. He liked the cleanness of it (he and the droids had been busy all day the day before, and Nana, bless her, was at his brother's for the weekend), even though there were crumbs and drink spills in a few places, and the chairs were mismatched so they had enough to seat everyone.

"Last night of freedom, Kes. You should go crazy, man," he told himself, but put away the whiskey bottle, anyway. "No, no, got to get all this cleaned up for the kids. Move this shit out to be collected. Need new furniture, anyway. It'll be good having the kids home for a few weeks."

[You talking to yourself or me, Master Kes?] asked Mi-Di, their home maintenance droid.

"Hey. Don't sass me. Help me get this cleaned up..."


	10. Chapter 10

Poe was so happy feeling the wind in his hair that he didn't even mind that he wasn't driving. He trusted Rey's driving fine, he just...missed doing it himself.

But now he was moving fast, and he was leaving the four white walls of Medical, and he was going _home_.

Home. Poe hated the slow pace of it when he was there, but missed it when he was away. Now that he was mostly bedridden, still, he wasn't sure whether it would grate on him more or if it would be—relaxing? Poe couldn't remember the last time he had _relaxed_ for more than a few days or hours.

He leaned forward and tapped Rey's shoulder.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" he asked with a grin.

"Not with you in it," Rey answered. Wrangling an overexcited baby and his impatient father(s) was enough to make the most patient soul (which she was not) want to give one of them a tranquilizer. To say that Sam was beside himself would have been an understatement, but at least Finn's impatience had been sidetracked by dealing with his son.

That left Rey to drive. Kalonia had imposed a very strict speed limit, and if Poe thought it was driving him crazy, well, at least _he_ wasn't having to maintain self-control with the throttle...

"What are you most excited for?" she asked, instead of taking her impatience out on her fiancée. They were impatient for the same thing, after all.

"To see the family," Poe answered, dutifully. "I've missed them. And—to not be in a hospital. As nice as the base is, and Dr. K and everyone.”

He watched the jungle speed by wistfully.

“I want it to storm, and sleep with the windows open," he said with a dreamy sigh.

Rey laughed. "I want to see the Tree. In fact, we're going to show Finn the Tree first," she said, shifting gears and taking a turn just sharp enough that Poe grinned at her, but not so sharp that Finn yelled at her.

Both Rey and Poe had described the house to him, but Finn still smiled when it came into view. It was rambling, occupying the center of the Dameron farm, surrounded by fields and an orchard, with an enclosure for animals and a garden alongside it. It looked like everything he would imagine a home to be—and then they slowed and pulled around to the back, and Rey stopped the speeder and cut its engines.

The Force Tree was not yet blooming, but its leaves were a beautiful light green, golden on their undersides. All three of them sighed as they looked at it, and Finn understood why this was what his two beloveds loved so much. Somehow the tree contrived at once to look both perfectly mundane (if ornamental) and also more _real_ than everything about it, like its edges were more defined and its matter carried more mass. In most living things this would feel somewhat threatening, or at least intimidating, but here... Here, it felt like the tree was a solid, protective force. And perhaps it truly was, given that it was a Force Tree from none other than Luke Skywalker.

"Hey uh...does it always glow like that?" he asked softly. He'd initially thought this was some effect of the golden green leaves, but the more he looked at it, the more certain he became: the Force tree was _glowing_.

Poe grinned as his eyes slid from the homestead to Finn's view of it.

"For those who see the Force," Rey answered.

"Or those who are in the habit of fucking those who do," Poe added with a wink, to explain the faint almost-hum that he saw. Maybe the Force was communicable.

"No swearing in front of the baby," Rey scolded, and stopped the speeder under the Tree.

"What are you doing back here?" Kes wondered when he appeared, laughing, at the door. "I thought you’d come to the front door. Let me get the hover chair."

"Daaaaad," Poe whined. "I _can_ walk."

"My house, my rules," Kes said. "And I'm stronger than you now."

Poe huffed. Kes always had been, actually. "I might take you in a left-handed arm-wrestle."

Kes disappeared, laughing, to get the hoverchair, and Poe resigned himself.

Finn tore his eyes from the tree to look over the farm. There were so many things he didn't recognize—or recognized, but hadn't actually seen before.

"You grew up here and didn't stay forever?" he asked Poe. This was heavenly—not quiet, but noisy in the way of animals and the outdoors, with the low hum of some equipment somewhere—maybe a pump or a climate control unit or something.

"What _is_ everything?" he asked, because he couldn't identify any of it. This was all beautiful chaos, to him.

After watching Finn for a few moments, Poe let his head fall back and laughed. "Oh, my gods, we've lost him. Rey, please grab our son before this doofus drops him. Hey, dad, you ready to show— _what are you wearing_?!"

The question was rhetorical. Kes returned pushing a hoverchair and wearing a bright yellow hat that said “Tour Guide” in Yavinese. "Stars, you're literally the biggest nerd in the entire galaxy. I can't believe I'm related to you. Take that off!"

"I like it!" Rey chirped. "What does it say?"

"'Tour Guide,'" Kes explained, as he and Rey eased Poe out of the speeder and into the chair, keeping the movements and grips on his left side gentle. "I did a few months as docent at the old Rebel Base museum. Before it became, ah, more of a 'Living Museum.'"

Poe grimaced as he sat in the chair, but they couldn't tell if it was from the movement or his continued embarrassment of his father. "I'm telling the General you called her a fossil."

"She won't care—we're not that far apart," Kes said happily. He at least did Poe the favor of letting him direct the chair himself, though he followed with one hand on the back in case his help was needed.

“The base was a museum? Kes, do you grow _all_ your food? Did you plant the garden in the front? What are those flowers? Are they the same plant as those beans?” Finn asked, the questions coming stream-of-consciousness style as some pretty purple flowers climbing up the side of the house caught his eye. He gravitated that direction, but found Kes had gently taken his sleeve to keep his attention.

"Finn—Finn, mijo, slow down, get back here, we have plenty of time. I will show you everything—Rey too, if she wants to come along," he said to Finn's endless questions.

Finn laughed, somewhat chastened—but only somewhat.

"Now—first, we get Poe settled wherever he wants to be, then we have something to eat—supper won't be until later, because some of the family is coming by—and then I will be your personal tour guide to the Dameron homestead," he added.

Rey smiled, because Kes' excitement was almost palpable in his merry chatter.

"I think I could survive on the porch with—there's my man! There’s Crix Madine the Murder Machine!" Poe laughed, as a bright orange pittin launched itself into Poe's lap. "Oh, shit, you've gotten heavy, haven't you, my buddy? You miss me?"

Crix Madine sniffed at his mechno-arm curiously, and then proceed to rub his face all over Poe's face.

"I kept him inside so he'd be here when you got home," Kes said, smiling fondly at the reunion between pilot and pittin.

"Ah, yeah, that's it," Poe laughed, grimacing again. "Rub the guts of whatever unfortunate dust-mouse you've recently mangled all over my face. Thanks, buddy."

But Poe didn't seem too grossed out, and the huge tom-pittin soon settled on Poe's lap like he belonged there. "Buddy, Crixy, you can't sit there. I need to hold my son. You wanna meet Sammy?"

Sam was delighted with the bright orange creature that claimed Poe's lap, seeming to think it was a toy, but Finn eyed it warily, because delighted or not, the only cat he'd ever known was _not_ nice.

"I can hold Sam," he offered, not wanting to upset the creature by removing it from its spot. Poe was right—it was huge.

Rey, however, had no reservations. She greeted the creature with a soft voice and smiled, extending her fingers for him to sniff.

"You're very handsome, big guy," she said to him, but still made no motion to pet him, leaving it to him to decide if he would allow it.

"Crix Madine, will you say hello?" Poe asked, and the pittin, maybe smelling Poe's smell on Rey, or just being friendly, slid his face across Rey's knuckles, begging to be pet, and purring obnoxiously.

Poe laughed. "He's so loud! Come here, Finn, Sammy's gonna hurt Crix more than Crix'll hurt him."

"You named your cat after the...Rebellion general?" Finn said, passing the child to Poe, who nudged Crix aside so baby and pittin could share his lap.

"Yeah. Now, be nice, Sammy. Gentle pets, see?"

Sam attempted this, but got more of a whacking motion.

Crix gave a confused _mrowl_ , but let it be.

"You see, we're doing great. What are you guys still doing here?" Poe said.

Kes looked to Finn and Rey. "I was going to offer you food before we went out, but we could reverse that," he suggested.

Finn nodded so hard that everyone else laughed, and he grinned sheepishly. "I mean—I'm not hungry. But I _am_ really excited to see your farm.”

"Oh you are? I was worried you weren't interested," Rey teased.

Finn stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed.

"Okay, okay. Come on, you two. Poe, shout if you need anything," Kes said.

"Like rescue from too many cute things?" Poe asked as Crix Madine, purring loudly, nuzzled against Sam, and the baby screeched in delight. "Go on!"

Kes beamed and led them back outside. They had set Poe up on the porch that overlooked the fields and the barn and chicken coop, from where he could have watched Kes work, if the senior Dameron hadn't got his chores done early today. Now Kes took them down a path to the koyo orchard, because they were ripening and worth a taste.

"Okay we have two orchards we tend," Kes was saying, "and most of the fruit is sold locally except when they get frozen and packed off to other planets. It's the only thing we sell. The milk from our nerf and the eggs from the chickens we keep and eat."

Winding through the trees, Kes found a ripe fruit and plucked it, handing it gallantly to Rey.

Rey, enthusiastic as always, took the offered fruit and turned it over in her hands only for a moment before biting into it. It was juicy and sweet, and she laughed as it dripped down her chin.

"You have something on your face," Finn remarked with a smile. She held the fruit out to him and wiped her face. He took a bite and looked over at Kes, eyes wide. "It's really good!"

"I think Maz had some dry ones last time we stopped on Takodana, but those weren't as sweet," Rey added.

Finn had no memory of eating a dried fruit anything like the the koyo at Maz's, but if someone remembered a food, it would be Rey.

"How many people does it take to tend the orchards? There are so many trees!" she said, delighted. Between the trees and the rest of the farm, Kes had everything he needed—and extra besides. No such thing as going hungry, here, not with the food literally growing on trees. And while going hungry hadn't been a concern in some time, Rey still appreciated readily available food.

"I usually get the family to help out during harvest season, or hire someone on a good year, but the rest I do myself. It's not hard work, and I like being outside." Kes smiled. "Now, wait a minute, you say Maz the Pirate Queen eats my koyo fruit?"

Kes laughed: it was just as likely that Maz grew her own on her planet, but it was a fun thought.

"Okay, let's go see the chickens,” he said, leading them into the coop. “Shut the door behind you. Crix Madine got in here once, and boy, that was a mess."

"There are chickens?" Finn asked curiously as he pulled the door shut securely behind him. He'd never seen a chicken—just pictures. He knew that was where eggs came from, usually, and of course he'd _eaten_ chicken before.

"Of course we have chickens! Can't have a farm without chickens," Kes laughed as he opened a second door. This new space was outside, but it was fenced on all sides, including the roof, and there was a small shed off to one side.

"That's where they nest—girls! Chickens! Hey chickies! Here! Have some new friends for you! Here chickens!" Kes called, and there was a flurry of activity as chickens burst from the shed and from several other hiding spots in the large yard. They rushed the three humans, cackling and squabbling, and gathered around them, probably expecting food.

"I know, I know, it's unfair to call you and not feed you," Kes told them, and he tossed out a couple handfuls of grain he'd taken from a bin in the entry room. "If you crouch and hold your hands out, they'll eat from them.”

Rey tossed her handfuls out to some of the smaller ones who stayed to the edge of the group, feeling sorry for them, but Finn moved off a short distance and crouched to hold his hands out toward a little black and white hen. She eyed him, and he shifted to sit down so he could be perfectly still and not startle her.

"Hello, chicken. I have food for you. Better hurry before the others catch you and chase you off!" he told her.

The chicken approached Finn with caution, and then surprised everyone by hopping up onto his knee, and from this safe vantage point began to eat the seed from his hand in sharp pecks, letting out a soft cooing sound when Finn brushed her feathers.

"You sit at your own peril in here," Kes said, now that it was too late. "Chickens aren't very tidy poopers."

"It's okay, we brought fresh clothes," Rey said, and giggled. "Finn even has his uniform, if we can ever manage to pull him back to base."

Finn, though, was enamored of his new chicken friend, and he missed most of Kes' comment. When she had eaten all the food in his hand, she fluffed up her feathers and preened them back down before cooing again and hopping back to the ground. Finn laughed and stood up, brushing the dust off his hands and smiling sheepishly at Kes and Rey. "Sorry—should we move on?"

"I love you. You'll be great at this someday," Rey told him suddenly. She was smiling that fond, sweet smile at him, and when Kes hummed in amused agreement, she bounced forward to throw her arms around Finn's neck. "Never change.”

"You like them, you're gonna lose your _mind_ on the horses," Kes laughed. "I keep two, mostly for spoiling them but sometimes for riding."

He pushed open the barn doors wide.

"Oh, I remember these fellows," Rey said. They had soft noses, even if they were a little too big to really be trusted. She held her hand up to the first, the smaller of the two—he was a dusty brown color, with a dark stripe down his back and a dark mane and tail, and Rey liked him because he reminded her of the desert. His companion was built like a work horse, big and stocky—a straightforward brown, with nothing but a crooked white stripe on his nose to mark him different from other brown horses.

"The little one, that's Chirrut. The big one is Baze. They particularly like sugar cubes," Kes said, and took four from a box by the door. He handed two each to Rey and Finn. "Hold your hands flat, palms up.”

Rey went first to demonstrate, because she had done this before. Chirrut took the treat gently, while Baze feigned indifference for a split second before also deigning to do so.

"They're um... They're really big," Finn said as he and Baze regarded each other evenly over the stall door.

"They're very good beasts," Kes said, patting Baze on the shoulder. "Named after some Rebellion heroes. I never met them, but one of my buddies did."

Kes beamed at Finn, who was slowly warming up to their gentleness.

"We could go for a ride later. Poe will want to ride when he's better, so you'll need to learn, or you'll never catch him. Rey let me pony her around last time, didn't you?"

"Yeah! I rode Baze. He was very sweet," Rey said as she and Finn traded spots. Finn offered Chirrut a sugar cube this time, and the horse ate it very happily before hanging his head over the door to nose at Finn's shoulder. Finn petted his nose gently, and was gratified when Chirrut sighed softly and flicked his ears.

"I'll try," he said, "But after we eat?"

Kes laughed.

"Of course! Guess you finally decided you're hungry?" he asked, and Finn and Rey both smiled. "Alright, let's go see what mischief they've found to get into."

With a last pat for each horse, they left the barn and headed back toward the house at a leisurely pace.

"Oh, wait," Rey said, taking Finn's hand and leading him back by way of the Force tree. It was bright with small buds, just beginning to show pink.

Rey went up to the base and laid her palm against its trunk, feeling it hum and glow, drawing from her power, or else she drew from it.

She saw the buds bloom, as though she watched a season pass in the blink of an eye, and when she turned back around Finn was dressed smartly in his uniform, and Poe was, too, walking under his own power, and everyone they loved was gathered around them.

She gasped, coming out of the vision, clutching at Finn's hand, hoping he had seen it, too.

"You still want to marry me here?" she whispered, drawing him close. "Under the pink flowers that BB-8 likes so much?"

"Yes," Finn answered immediately, "Right here, under this tree, and Poe with us, and with everyone we know and love as witnesses."

He pulled back only enough to look at Rey and kissed her nose just to see her beam that sunny smile he loved so much. But that smile was too perfect to not be kissed as well, and for just a moment they were lost in each other. When they broke apart, they were both smiling.

Kes shook his head finally when they rejoined him, holding hands and a little breathless. He muttered something about young love and led the way back around to the front of the house where they'd left Poe, Sam, and the pittin.

Poe had amused himself explaining the names of things Sam took an interest in—in Basic and in Yavinese, which he surprised himself with—BB-8, catching on, added the words in Binary. Crix Madine was probably supplying translations in whatever language pittins spoke, for how vocal he was being.

Sam didn't tire of this—papa, nose, chair, arm, pittin, sky, bird, droid, boots—but eventually Sam did grow tired, rubbing his eyes with his chubby hand.

"It's okay, son, we can sleep," Poe said. "[Sleep.] Take a nap before dinner? Before momma and daddy and grandpa get back?"

Poe rubbed Sam's back and eased his chair into a recline. Crix took the opportunity to shift to Poe's less-synthetic leg and sprawl, while Poe tucked Sam in close.

When Kes returned with Finn and Rey, they found the three of them asleep—BB-8 running some updates, pittin opening his eyes lazily at their approach. He was still purring loudly.

Rey paused to smile fondly at the little group, at this scene of perfect contentment. When she looked over at Finn he, too, was smiling.

"I almost feel bad waking them," he said quietly.

"They're so cute...I'm not sure I can handle it," Rey said. "It's unfortunate that we can't just join them."

Her voice was wistful, and Finn put an arm around her shoulder.

"We'll get a chance. But right now we better wake them up, or Sam won't sleep tonight," Finn told her. Kes was already one step ahead—he walked up the steps and gently nudged Poe's knee.

"Wake up, hijo, your beloveds want to eat," he said quietly.

"Hm, what? What're we making?" Poe asked, blinking awake with a start. "I wasn't sleeping. Sammy was sleeping."

Rey and Finn laughed, and Kes squeezed his (good) shoulder. "You wanna help me cook? Try out that new hand of yours?"

Poe visibly brightened.

"Can I?" he asked earnestly. "I, uh, won't be in the way? You know I could stand for a bit, maybe."

"No, no, you sit. We have a table. Poe, I let your Nana cook, I think I can let you sous chef for me. Teach these kids how it's done."

"Hey, that's right, where is Nana?" Poe asked, looking around him.

"She's been with your uncle these weeks, since I've been on base so much. Oh, I mentioned the family's coming over tonight?" Kes grinned mischievously. "Let me show you where you'll be staying and you can put your things down."

Finn pushed the hoverchair and Rey carried the bags as Kes led them through to the old den, which had been set up with a large bed and one smaller hospital-bed, to which various apparatuses could be hooked up, and which could recline and sit up. "Doctor says you have to use that until the arm is healed."

"You just want us in separate beds until we're married," Poe grumbled. "Oh, gods, is this the old mattress from your room? Dad, I was _conceived_ on this mattress!"

This launched a short argument in Yavinese at the end of which they were both laughing, Poe clutching his still-healing ribs.

"Wait what," Finn said at the end of the short discussion. He hadn't followed it, of course, and neither had Rey, but she laughed nonetheless, having understood at least the gist of what had just been said.

"Poe, calm down. _You're_ not even sleeping in it," she told him, her tone completely unconcerned. "Kes, you're not sleeping on the floor, are you?" she asked, turning to her future father-in-law.

"Psh, no," Kes laughed. "I bought _myself_ a new bed."

"DAD!"

"What? It's not like you are guests, my dears, you are _family_. Anyway, I'm sure it's better than sand and certainly better than stormtrooper barracks." He glared at Poe. "And if you won't join them then I don't have to worry about any hanky-panky going on before the wedding, eh?"

Finn blushed, and Poe fumed, but Rey laughed.

"Come on, now, everyone in the kitchen. The hordes will descend soon...."

"Hordes like...how many is a horde?" Finn asked, and Rey cackled, which probably meant—

"The whole family? Is Breha coming?" Rey asked, sounding excited, and Poe and Kes both chuckled. "She _is_ isn't she?"

"Of course she is. She wants to look at her speeder with you, something about upgrading it," Kes answered. "I think she might also want to see her cousin."

"So how many is a horde, again?" Finn interjected, because it sounded like Rey was about to go completely off-topic.

"Oh. It's not quite the whole family, so...More than twenty. But some of them will bring food— we don't have to cook for all of them!" Kes answered, while Finn stammered in disbelief. "It's not all of them, mind you. Some are off-world, and I didn't want them to crowd the place, but twenty isn't so many.”

"About half of them are under 12," Poe supplied, scratching Crix behind his ears and smelling Sam's wonderful baby-smell head, letting Kes push him into the kitchen. The pittin didn't like it when Kes slid him against the table, though, and hopped down, after donating another pittin's worth of orange fur to his hospital whites. "Hey, can someone help me get changed? I don't want my family to see me for the first time in years looking _too_ much like an invalid."

"First, you chop," Kes said, setting two onions and a knife before him.

Rey quickly picked up Sam and retreated. "Oops, I'm holding the baby, can't help with that, sorry."

Poe laughed.

"Hey, no fair using our kid as a shield!" Finn teased, but Rey was unrepentant and proceeded to do a little dance with Sammy, who screeched happily. Finn left them to it (and to helping Kes with the sauce he was making) and went to cut onions with Poe. Soon, they were both crying, and Finn was cursing the onion for engaging in chemical warfare.

"Finn! Language!" Rey said from across the kitchen. Finn stuck his tongue out at her.

Poe chuckled, managing to bite his tongue.

"Wait til we're cutting the peppers," he laughed, though when Kes dropped them onto the table, Poe took point on that task, and washed his hands thoroughly afterwards.

When everything was simmering in a pot Rey returned, feeding Sam, who hung quite lax in her arms, nearly asleep.

She had just put him down for a nap upstairs when the family began to descend upon the house.

"POE'S HOME!" came a screech, and Rey saw Breha's husband sprinting through the house and all but slamming into Poe in a huge embrace. Two small dark-haired children ran after, gathering around the hoverchair and, knowing less how to pull their punches, _actually_ slammed into Poe, slinging tiny arms around his neck.

"Tano! Tano!" Poe laughed, trying to get his arms around all three of them. "Teej, man, oh my gods, you're getting huge, kiddo! And who's this? Is this Bellina? Look at you, sweetheart, you're so big, oh let me look at you! You doing good in school, you guys? Tano, you big lug, what'd you do with my cousin? Breha!"

Rey and Finn watched as Poe and his family exchanged huge hugs and kisses.

"Show us your mechno arm, Poe! Show us!"

"Patience, you vultures, you gotta meet Finn first. You didn't meet Finn, did you?"

The children looked up, wide-eyed, and then, all of a sudden, rushed to hug Finn's legs. "Hi, Finn! Can we play with your helmet?"

"Rey! Rey! Did you bringed me a wightsaber?"

Finn's heart warmed at the enthusiastic greeting that Poe was treated to, and it warmed further when he and Rey were included. He crouched to be on the child's—Teej, Poe had called him— level.

"Oh, I don't have it with me! But maybe I can get it from the base tomorrow, huh? Or we could make one," he suggested. This met with approval, and Teej bounded over to bother his sister and Rey.

Finn smiled up at Breha and stood.

"It's good to meet you—Rey and Poe are both very fond of you," he said, holding out his hand in introduction.

Breha pulled Finn into a hug over the top of her children, kissing his cheek. "And they're very fond of you. I feel like I already know you."

Tano now squeezed in and gave Finn a great back-thumping hug. He was much taller than Finn, his skin and hair a similar shade, and he graced both Finn and Rey with cheek-kisses. "Finn! Good to meet you! Thanks for looking after our cousin all the time!"

"Hey! I've looked after myself fine for many years," Poe pointed out.

"Bullshit, that's bullshit," Tano protested. "You got cold feet so bad you threw yourself into a star destroyer rather than make your wedding day, man."

Poe was so surprised, he couldn't but laugh. "You're such an asshole, Tano, I don't know what my cousin sees in you."

Breha shook her head at the exchange. "We all ran together like this when we were kids," she explained. "They've always been like this."

"Uncle Poe! Uncle Poe!"

"I told you kids, don't call me that," Poe said, pulling Bellina, with effort, into his lap. "Makes me sound old."

"Poe, will you show us your arm now?" Tano Jr. asked, also clambering into his lap.

Trying not to grimace, Poe turned his palm up and opened the maintenance panel to show the children. "Ah, ah, get your sticky fingers out of my gears," he said, swatting them gently away, and showed them the pen light and hydrospanner that came out the back of his knuckles. They thought this was very neat, and squealed in delight.

After only a few minutes, they were joined by an older man who looked strikingly like Kes and was in fact Kes' brother, Karlo, who was joined by his wife, Soraro, and Poe's Nana.

About this time Finn began to lose track of everyone, and Rey wasn't much help, but everyone greeted him warmly, and were helpfully introducing themselves in terms of their relationship to Poe (however distant: "I'm Jax, Poe's ex-second-cousin-in-law. They said if me and Yula ever got a divorce, I'm still invited to family reunions," said one, and he and Yula and Yula's new husband whose name Finn didn't catch actually all got on amicably).

The mixed Dameron-Bey clan was rowdy, loud, and as welcoming of the newcomers (though some of them knew Rey already) as they were of Poe. The children seemed especially fond of Finn, though this was possibly because he took very little persuading to get on the floor and let the children clamber on him like a climbing frame. Their cackling, especially once Breha and Yula got in on the game, awoke Sam, and he wailed until Rey went upstairs and brought him down to see everyone. He immediately reached toward Breha, and Rey laughed as she handed the baby over to his...aunt? They were going with Aunt, because everything else was too complicated.

"Hello, Sammito! Look here, you match your papa! Sort of..." she said as Sam grasped her finger with his new mechno.

Sam giggled and drooled down his front, but Breha wasn't concerned by the mess, just kissed his cheek. And then Sam had to be passed around, and presently food was organized and passed around, starting with the Kid's Table, who ate first.

When Rey stood up to get her plate, a small cousin—about eleven—held out her arms.

"Can I hold Sammy?" she asked. "I'm done eating!"

"Aw, jita," Kes cooed, watching the exchange. "Just like your uncle Poe when he was your age! Kiilii is always looking after the little ones," he explained.  

"Yeah, but Kiilii does it voluntarily," Poe said with a smile, reaching over to pat her shoulder gratefully as Rey passed Sam down. "I was pressed into service. Who'd want to babysit these yahoos?"

This earned him much protest.

"It can't have been that bad..." Finn said, to howls of laughter from the yahoos themselves, who were quick to assure him that no, Poe wasn't being dramatic this time.

"We really were occasionally terrible," Breha said. She put a hand on Poe's shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "But he's more patient than he lets on, so don't let him fool you. He was really a very good babysitter. It was great dad practice."

She kissed the top of Poe's head and went to break up an argument between several small boys.

"At least one of us has practice!" Finn laughed.

"Hey, be fair—we're quick studies," Rey said from the floor, where she was sitting cross-legged and supervising a sort of clapping game Kiilii and some of the other children were trying to teach Sam. He was too young to understand it, but he was very thrilled to be making noise, especially once he discovered clapping was a thing he could do with his mechno arm.

"Rey, get over here and eat your food," Poe scolded. "The kids can watch him."

Only once she was sure that Kiilii and the rest of the older cousins were looking after the babies and smaller children did Rey get up to join them at the table. Jura, Shara's mother, took Rey's hand, and the table went quiet and all bowed their heads as she prayed to their ancestors.

("It's an Alderaanian thing," Poe explained, and, when Kes added a short prayer to the Force, added, "It's a Yavinese thing.")

Then the food was passed around and the room became louder than before until everyone was served, and then it grew quiet until someone commented how "We only ever shut up to eat around here," which got a laugh and conversation going again.

"So Kes hasn't told us much about you, Finn, except the stormtrooper thing," said Berno (Shara's father). "What's your story?"

Finn glanced down the table at Kes, not sure there was much to the story past what Kes had told them already.

"That's...sort of all there is. I was a stormtrooper, my first ground battle went badly, and Poe had very conveniently gotten himself captured, which was the only way I was getting out of there. I'm _still_ not a great pilot..."

He grinned when Rey chuckled in agreement.

"And then I wasn't a stormtrooper anymore. You probably know the rest until at least Starkiller... The story _since_ then might be too long for dinner," he said. Tano, of course, couldn't let it go at that.

"You at least have to tell us the story behind the three of you being together," he said. Finn looked to Poe and Rey and smiled.

"He said 'I need a pilot,' and I was smitten," Poe laughed, and Rey elbowed him gently.

"You, too?"

The whole table laughed.

"I'm just glad I fell in love with Rey, and she with me," Poe said. "I'd hate to have had to fight her for Finn's affections or something."

"Yeah, Poe, she'd kick your ass," Tano laughed.

"Buddy, she _does_ , all the time, anyway," Poe agreed.

"Well it's a good thing you're staying here til you're married. Keep you all locked up until it happens this time," Kes teased.

"Now Kes, they have a galaxy to save," Berno said, laughing.

Finn smiled over at him.

"Don't worry, we'll break you out if you need to be rescued," Berno added in a stage whisper.

"At least, we will if we can do it in that funny little starship of yours—the _Falcon_ , right? Han Solo's old ship? She's a good ship, under that exterior," Jura added, and Rey grinned, recognizing a kindred spirit. Jura grinned back. "And I imagine she's only gotten better with age—and with a certain young Jedi working on her."

At this, Rey blushed a little, but it was also true. She was proud of the work she'd done. Even more than that, Chewie enthusiastically approved and had helped her with many of them—his approval was as close to the approval of the ship's old owner as she could get.

"You should fly her with me anyway sometime, even if we're not being rescued. Both of you, if you don't mind the tiny cockpit," she suggested. Jura was about to answer, but just at that moment a small child—two small children, who Finn seemed to recall were twins— ran up and clambered into Jura and Berno's laps.

"Take us flying!"

"Yeah us too, we wanna go!"

"We won't even get sick this time, we promise!"

"And we'll listen the whole time and do everything you tell us to!"

At this last, the table burst into laughter, much to the child’s dismay. She quickly assured them that she was serious, and her brother nodded helpfully from Jura's lap.

"Okay, little ones, okay. We'll think about it—you have to be very good, though!" Berno warned them. They both nodded very solemnly and then, because they were young children with an excess of energy, they were down off laps and scrambling back to their cousins. Finn watched them go and traded bemused looks with Rey and Poe.

"Yeah, get some more pilots in the family," Poe said, giving each of them a high-five before they scurried off. "And you have to take me with you, too. I'm literally _wasting_ away stuck on the ground like this."

Poe went for overly-dramatic on purpose, so everyone could laugh, but he was mostly serious.

"And you can't actually let grandma drive," Breha scolded, rocking a sleepy two-year-old in her arms. "Grandma! You're legally blind!"

"Ah, but I've still got the pilot _instinct_ ," Jura said, tapping her nose.

Poe raised a hand. "To be fair, I had to—"

" _No_. I don't need you encouraging her! And anyway, look what _happened_ to you!" Breha snapped, shushing her cousin. "Grandma's already gotten one hip replaced..."

"Aaand before anyone starts throwing things, I'm going to start the dishes," Tano said, standing up. He said a few words in Yavinese, and all the men over the age of ten or so, and who weren't holding a child, stood up. "Not you, Kes, you cooked. Poe, stop, what are you thinking?"

"I can _dry_ ," Poe offered. "I barely even helped with cooking! And you'll put them back in all the wrong places."

"Like _you_ know, you just got back today. Finn, come on," Tano gave him a friendly wave as they descended on the dishes.

"You stay. Catch up with your _family_ , that's why they're here!" Finn told Poe, and then he followed Tano to the kitchen. They formed an assembly line of sorts, and there were enough of them that even though they'd fed about 20 people, it took very little time to clean, dry, and put away the dishes. For the most part, they were able to put everything where it belonged, too, once they opened every cabinet at once.

Poe was left with the old men and women (it was stupid that doing dishes was a chore by which Yavinese men demonstrated their machismo, and stupider that he bought into it, but he had so far suffered worse indignities since crashing into the _Finalizer_ ), but didn't have time to complain as his tiny cousins decided they wanted to climb on him again. The poor hoverchair was about to turn into a floor-chair, as their combined weight dragged it down.

"Okay, easy, easy," Poe grunted, extricating himself as someone trod roughly on his still-healing leg. He must have gone obviously pale or something, though, because Rey's eyes went fierce and Jura hauled T.J. off and spoke sternly at him until he cried.

"No, no, Grandma, it's okay, he's fine. Teej, my man, you're okay," he said, offering a hand.

"We just have to be gentle with Poe. He's sick, remember?" Breha said, and T.J. sniffled.

"Sorry, Uncle Poe," he said.

"Buddy. Don't call me 'uncle,' I told you," he laughed, ruffling his hair. "I'm feeling a lot better already. You guys want to bring me a datapad? We could read a story?"

This was met with much enthusiasm, and Berno stood up. "We can move you to the couch, can't we?"

"Sure, I can help you move him," Rey said, passing Sam off to one of the older children again (this one, she was sure, was Tissa).

"Oh, no, Grandpa, I can't ask you to—Rey—"

"You've started hunching," Jura scolded gently, patting his shoulder with grandmotherly affection. "You're not on a military base anymore, you don't have to be brave."

"Well—" Poe said, and that was that. Despite his protests that he could stand up on his own, he was helped from chair to couch and propped up with pillows before the children descended.

Laughing, Rey tucked Sam onto Poe's lap and handed him a datapad.

"Have fun," she said, and went to find Finn.

Finn looked up from putting dishes away when Rey entered the kitchen and raised his eyebrows in silent question.

"He's reading them a story—from the couch, with Sam, so we don't have to worry about him doing something else heroic like...I don't know. Vacuuming," she told him, and several of Poe's relatives laughed. Kes, who was leaning on a counter and not helping in any way whatsoever (except when Tano tried to wash one of his good knives in hot water), shook his head.

"That, mija, you don't need to worry about. Poe _hates_ vacuuming as bad as that pittin of his," he said to her.

"Oh! Does he puff up like a pittin, too?" Rey asked brightly.

Kes laughed. "Dunno about that, but...now you've cleaned my kitchen, I'm gonna mess it up again."

"Ah, Tio, you did that on purpose!" Tano complained, as Kes bustled about the kitchen quite gleefully, making a big pot of spiced hot cocoa for everyone.

"He's as bad as Jura is," Berno grumped, crossing the kitchen to sit at one of the barstools, helping his wife to sit, as well.

"How is he, really, Kes?" Jura asked quietly. "Should we clear out? He seems so tired. So thin."

" _Mom_ ," Kes said.

"Me?" Nana asked, helping herself to the third barstool.

"No, Mama, other mom," Kes laughed, stirring his cocoa. "I think he's doing fine. He's putting on weight, and the fresh air and sun helped, and seeing the place, too. Seeing all of you."

He looked to Rey and Finn to offer their own diagnoses.

Finn and Rey looked at each other, catching funny little winces of pain on each others’ faces as they remembered how bad Poe _had_ been. To them, he looked almost healthy, now, and it was a shock to hear his family say he looked otherwise.

"He's doing so much better. He knew where he was when he woke up, and he's been doing well—Dr. Kalonia is very pleased. She wouldn't have let him out of her sight, otherwise," Rey reassured them, though she made a mental note to make sure he got plenty to eat. She hadn't realized he was so thin, still.

"He acts more like himself more often. It's good for him here. I don't think he'd relax the same anywhere else," Finn added, and then smiled softly. "Insofar as Poe _ever_ relaxes."

"Preach," Tano replied. "He's really mellow though. More than usual."

"Of course he is. He has his fianceés here to dote on him, and a son to keep his attention when they're doing their jobs," Berno said, and his voice was as warm as his smile when he looked between Rey and Finn.

"That's right," Kes said. "What's he got to worry about?"

Poe, meanwhile, had decided he had nothing in the world to worry about, except that he distantly though he might eventually need help going to the toilet.

But right now he was buried under a pile of little warm bodies like so many squirmy heating pads, and they leeched some of the tension out of him. The datapad was projecting a holoimage up in front of them so everyone could see, and he flicked it with his thumb to go to the next picture.

"'Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father,' Darth Vader said, stretching out his hand towards Luke," Poe read, doing his best impression. Sam gurgled and kicked, blocking part of the hologram briefly. He looked around. "Does anyone know what he said next?"

"I AM YOUR FATHER!" A chorus of children shouted, and Sam and the other small ones just screamed.

"That's right! 'I am your father!'" Poe added a maniacal laugh that was probably neither historically accurate nor textually called for.

Rey nearly jumped at the sudden screams from the other room, and felt she needed to check on them. Finn, likewise, was mildly alarmed, and followed directly on Rey's heels, wondering what had induced all the children to scream.

By the time they got there, the group of children and Poe had dissolved into giggles. It looked simultaneously like Poe was having the time of his life and like it hurt his still-healing bones.

"Everything okay?" Rey asked, wandering over to lean over the back of the couch. "How's the story? Gentle, now, no bouncing," she added when the children grew a little too eager to answer her question.

"It's about Jedi Master Luke!" one of them chirped.

"Oh really? What about him?" Rey asked the little girl—Rosie, she thought she remembered.

"He fighted—foughted—Darth Vader!" Rosie answered. Finn, who had joined Rey, smiled at her.

"Did you know that Rey knows Master Luke?" he asked, forgetting that the children had met her before. They very quickly corrected him on this matter:

"She says he's nice!"

"An' he has a beard!"

"He's _old_!" Teej shouted at the end.

"Okay, okay, who are you calling old? You know Luke and your auntie Shara flew together?" Kes asked, entering from the kitchen with some of the rest of the family. “Who wants cocoa?”

Poe may have been beloved, and missed, and his storytelling was matched only by C3PO, but he was chop liver when Kes had brought out the hot cocoa.

The children clambered off the couch and swarmed Kes, who was holding a tray of small mugs, and made them get in line and hold their cups with both hands. The smallest had to sit on the floor until they were done, and the room suddenly got quiet.

"Hey, where's mine?" Poe teased, as Kes handed him a mug, last of all.

The cocoa was a nice conclusion to the evening, and it made all the children and Poe quite sleepy, so everyone took this as their cue to leave. Several versions of 'Feel better, glad you're home, get some rest, we'll be by in a few days' later, Poe slumped back on the couch, determined to enjoy this mug of cocoa. It was good to see everyone again, but it had been a very long day, and he was exhausted.

"I'm not done with that," Poe said, only realizing he had startled awake when Kes tried to take the mug from his nearly-limp fingers.

"Mijo, you want a straw? You can barely keep your eyes open."

"Don't make fun of me," Poe said, and finished his cocoa through sheer force of will. "Okay, I'm sleeping here, good night."

Rey kissed Poe's forehead as Finn stepped in and wordlessly offered his help to move from the couch. "No, sweetheart, sleep in bed. You'll be so uncomfortable in the morning if you sleep here.”

"Want me to carry you? I could, if you want. I don't mind," Finn said. Poe just looked so warm and sleepy, and it made Finn want to hold him as close as possible for awhile. It was the most content he'd seen him since before he'd been captured, blinking slowly as Rey brushed his hair back from his forehead and gave him another sweet, soft kiss.

"Come on. I bet we all sleep better here than we have in medical. Real beds..." Rey said wistfully.

"Yeah," Poe agreed, soft and pliant, but, "No," he corrected. "Want to walk. Help me walk?"

Kes took Sam and the dirty mug, and Finn and Rey helped him from either side.

"You hurting?" Rey asked.

"No more than usual," Poe answered, his vision spotting for a few seconds before it came back, clearer than before. "Feels good to be home. Sorry I'm so tired."

"You did a lot today," Rey encouraged, and they went through their bathroom routine, helping Poe only where he needed it. Bit by bit he was recovering his dignity, but today he was just too tired.

"Wait, wait," Poe said, as they bundled him into the hospital bed across from the big bed. "Can't I sleep with you?"

Finn looked over at the bigger bed and then back at Poe. "You want to be able to move in the morning, right?" he asked him with a crooked smile. "It's a really old bed, Poe. You should sleep in the comfortable bed, just for now, with room enough to have a pile of pillows and things."

He sat next to Poe on the bed, reaching over to comb his fingers through Poe's hair—still short, but growing, and recovering some of its gentle curl. "You're really getting the best of the bargain," he reassured him.

"Oh, that's right," Poe murmured, completely unable to keep his eyes open. "You should sleep here, then."

Rey chuckled. "We'll be right here. Remember your father can't know you're not a virgin before our wedding. We have to pretend."

Poe barked out a laugh that almost woke him up. "That's stupid.”

"Come on, Sammy, let's say goodnight," Kes interrupted. "What am I supposed to not know?"

"Nothing, get out," Poe moaned, but opened his arms to give Sam, warm, freshly changed, and sleepy, a hug and kiss. "Love you, kiddo."

"I'll put him down in the next room," Kes told Rey and Finn as they also said their goodnights.

Rey smiled at Kes' back as he took Sammy to sleep and then turned to Finn. She leaned on his chest and nuzzled against his neck with a happy, sleepy hum.

"This is real, right?" she asked quietly—maybe a little uncertainly. Finn put his arms around her shoulders.

"Yeah. We're really in Poe's dad's house, about to sleep on the bed where Poe's mom and dad conceived him," he said, and then laughed when Rey shoved him—but softly, because Poe’s eyes were already closed and he appeared to be asleep.

"Gross. You're supposed to be reassuring!" Rey hissed, but she was also laughing. She punched him softly in the shoulder, but he took her hand to pull her after him to the other bed. Rey was still giggling as she pulled the sheets beach and crawled underneath, and Finn held a finger to his lips.

"Shhhh, you'll wake Poe up. Come on, time to sleep," he said softly. This seemed to be fine with Rey—she snuggled down next to him, quieting, and buried her face against his chest.

Then she laughed, bouncing them on the mattress in her attempt to stifle the sound. "This can't be the same mattress. It would have to be so _old_!"

"Don't let Poe hear you say that," Finn chuckled.

Rey tilted her face up, and cupped the side of Finn's cheek to draw him down into a kiss. She slid her leg over the top of his thighs, and sighed contentedly, continuing to kiss him.

This, Finn had missed—Rey's lazy, sweet kisses, and her weight as she half-sprawled over his chest, and the gentle scratching on his arms that melted him completely. It seemed like months, years even, since the last time they'd had the space and safety to do this—and though their third was missing, he was safe and sleeping nearby. Soon, he would be recovered enough to join them, and they could go back to their old sleeping arrangements.

Or, Finn allowed, maybe they could get a bigger bed and have the best of all worlds.

"You're thinking very hard," Rey said, having paused in kissing him.

"I was thinking how nice it would be to have a big bed where all three of us could comfortably stretch out," he said quietly. He tipped his chin so he could kiss Rey's nose.

"We can put one on our 'Wedding Registry,'" Rey suggested, saying the unfamiliar concept carefully. "In case someone hasn't gotten us a wedding gift yet. But where would we put it? The _Falcon_ isn't big enough, and we have to move Base too much."

Still, Rey stretched, finding that with only two in the bed there was actually plenty of room, and she made a pleased little sound. "Well, I still think _you're_ more comfortable than any mattress. Even if this one is thirty years old."

Finn smiled and combed Rey's hair with his fingers, gently loosening knots and tangles until her hair was silky soft.

"I like it when you use me as a pillow," he told her quietly. "It feels safe," he added in a slightly sheepish whisper.

Rey was still giggling as she clambered up on top of Finn, sprawling over him completely.

"Better?" she asked, kissing his nose and running her fingernails over his arms. "Or is it too warm like this?"

"Maybe a little," Finn answered, and then promptly yawned and blinked slowly. "Hmmmmm," he hummed as he turned his arm over for Rey to scratch.

Rey was decidedly just the right temperature, however, and took advantage of Finn's kindness and his warmth and the gentle rise and fall of his chest and the sensation of the Force running through her to Finn, and through Finn to Poe, and through Poe to Sam, and from Sam to Kes, and even out to the tree and Crix Madine—who slid through the ajar door to hop gracelessly up onto the bed to lie with Poe—and the chickens and horses and the village. If she focused hard enough, she could even feel the Force in BB-8.

She let it all soothe her to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Once Poe was home, it was easy to find a routine again—go to the base, get as much work done as possible (but never enough), go home for awhile in the afternoon, and then return to the base to work until dinner. Finn was trying to train troops, or retrain them, while Luke had reinstated Rey's training sessions, pushing her to practice the skills she'd need to go up against Kylo Ren. The whole base buzzed with plans and strategies and exercises, and Finn often stayed behind long after Rey had gone home. 

He knew he was doing it again—overdoing it, obsessing about the work and using it to avoid becoming anxious about what came next. But it was temporary, he also knew, and Rey and Poe hadn't asked him to stop, yet, which could only mean he wasn't  _ that _ bad off.

There was every chance he would be, though, if his clearance to even get into the main base buildings continued to malfunction. Right now, he was glaring at a closed door, the access panel to which was showing a resolute bright red of denied entry.

"There a  problem here, sir?" Coni asked, sauntering up with a grin that was nearly manic. She watched him try his badge again and grinned. "Guess you'll have to go home."

Finn sighed sharply in frustration and turned to Coni. "I'm not going home, I have work to do. Obviously there's something wrong with my card, because it worked yesterday and it's not like the General would just randomly remove my clearance."

Though he knew it wouldn't work this time any more than it had the time before, he tried his card again. The access panel honked at him, and he grumbled something about getting BB-8 to let him in.

"Try yours, maybe it's this panel. Maybe it's broken," he suggested, giving Coni what he hoped was a hopeful grin and not a borderline insane grimace.

"Hm," Coni said, playing along. She adjusted the strap where she carried a blaster rifle, and reached over the barrier between them to swipe her ident. It lit up green. 

"Yup, it works—hold up, sir," she said, as Finn tried to push through the barrier while it was green. "I'm afraid rules are rules. Can't let you through without authorization. What if I didn't know you? You could be a  _ First Order spy _ !"

"I...Coni, that makes no sense. You know I'm not a spy, come on," Finn responded. He made an annoyed huffing noise. Not caring that his voice was taking on a distinctly whiny tone, he said, "Come on, I have things to do, let me in.”

It was lucky that Kix happened to be walking by to witness this exchange. 

He sighed. "What are you doing here, Major? I've been trying to comm you at home. Stand down, Sergeant. Stop torturing him." 

He looked back up at Finn. "You're on temporary leave, Major. I'm sure it's  _ someone's _ idea of a joke that you weren't told." 

Kix was still struggling to adjust to what the Resistance liked to call military protocol. It apparently included pranking. Regularly.

"Why am I on leave when I didn't ask to be?" Finn asked. Coni was snickering, amused beyond anything reasonable that he was stuck on the wrong side of the door and hadn't been told about it. Of course, there was a good chance she was the one who was supposed to have told him. He was going to make her wash everyone's socks for the rest of the year...if he ever got his clearance back.

"No idea," Kix, who also had no concept of what over-working looked like, said. "But it came from the top. The General told me I should comm you, and you're on consultation only. We're doing alright, was just wondering what PT looked like in the Order so we could mandate a similar regimen, a chance to boost morale as they presumably wipe the floor with our men."

"Hehe, yeah," Coni giggled, then, "wait..."

Finn growled, but if the General had mandated it, he had no choice, and getting angry wouldn't help. Instead, he threw his hands up in defeat and counted to five.

"Alright, fine. Kix, let's talk for a moment and I'll give you some idea of training. Deeks can help too, even if he's not on full PT yet. I assume  _ he's _ not banned from base," Finn grumbled. Coni patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"It's okay, Major, we'll take care of things. You go enjoy the break," she said. 

He gave her a look.

"That is the least reassuring thing you have ever said," he stated, voice dry and flat.

"I mean, we got on fine before you joined the good guys," Coni pointed out, and then ducked out of reach. 

Rolling his eyes, Kix stepped around the barrier and joined Finn for a perimeter walk to talk business, which was quite short. 

"I imagine she wants the details of the Awards Ceremony to be a surprise," he ventured, after a few minutes of companionable silence. "She truly cares for you, in a special way, Major. Just get used to that." 

He hummed in thought. "And, more practically, she might want to have you on standby while we try to get on without you, before you go off-planet on your honeymoon." 

Finn considered this, and it made a certain kind of sense. But how long would the wedding and honeymoon really be? Maybe he was underestimating what this kind of thing looked like. 

The Colonel smiled. "I can give you paperwork if you would  _ really _ like to keep busy..."

At that, Finn barked a laugh. "No, no, that's okay. No paperwork necessary." 

Then he sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Do you have any idea if Rey has been taken off duty by Luke, too? I don't like the idea of doing nothing while everyone else is preparing for the next battle. I'm supposed to be helping take down the First Order, even if they were doing fine before I got here..." 

Finn looked for sympathy in the older soldier. He hated doing nothing. He was  _ bad _ at doing nothing. He'd probably just drive Poe and Kes to distraction.

"No battles to plan," Kix said, and reached out to clasp Finn's shoulder. "We're reorganizing, going defensive—I know." He held up a hand to forestall protest. "The General doesn't like it either, but you should be glad it gives you time with your affianced, and you're not missing any action. We're being  _ smart _ about our defenses. Ready for attack. We'll wait to go looking for one when we've got you back on our side, okay? You're a good man, Major Finn. We couldn't do this without you."

Kix smiled as they walked along. 

"Anyway, should give you time to work on that  _ speech _ ..."

Finn's shoulders slumped in defeat. 

"I guess it does," he admitted, resigned to having no other work for the time being. 

"Okay—I'll just, uh, go. I guess," he said as they returned to the security barrier. He shook Kix's hand and turned to trudge back home, still grumpy that this choice had been made for him and with zero warning. She had probably known he would just argue...

He was still in a mood when he reached the house, and Kes looked up in surprise from weeding the front garden when he heard him approach.

"Leia removed my clearance, and I imagine Rey's as well. Something about needing to take a break from work," Finn announced before Kes could even ask.

"Thank the Maker!" Kes exclaimed. "You can help me with these weeds, since Sam is no help." 

He looked over and laughed at the baby lying on a blanket in the grass, wearing a bib that said “Droolin’ is My Day Job”—a shame tactic that had so far no effect. Crix Madine lounged nearby, keeping a close eye on him.

"Or see if Poe and Sall need anything. I haven't seen Rey yet this morning, though." 

At that moment, Rey came running up, looking flushed and far-away. "Luke says we're not training for a few weeks. I don’t know what I did wrong." 

She was a little angry and worried he was mad at her, though he said he wasn't. 

_ 'Sometimes we go to a certain place in the Force, often for very legitimate reasons, and we just need to back off for a while,' he told her, where they sat in the Temple high above Poe's village. 'Still meditate. Still practice. But we don't need to go further until—' _

_ 'Until I atone. You  _ are _ mad at me!'  _

_ 'Until you get  _ married _ , Rey,' Luke said, and for the first time sounded fierce. 'Leia and I talked about this. We can't keep you safe forever. But we can keep you safe long enough.' _

_ 'But I have to train! I have to beat him!' Her voice had shaken the Temple.  _

_ Luke stared at her until she was ashamed of her own outburst, so he hardly had to add, 'That is why I cannot teach you.' _

Rey flopped onto the blanket with Sam, saying nothing. 

Kes, sensing the tension, let it ride. If they needed space, they could take it. If they wanted to weed the garden, they could join him. Poe was probably being a piss-baby in there with the physical therapist, so they could make it a pity party if they wanted to...

Since Rey was obviously in no mood for conversation, Finn made a mumbled excuse to go into the house and check on Poe, who was probably giving Sall hell.

Rey, in the meantime, sat with her knees pulled up to her chin while she brooded.

"Mija, could you help me with the weeds? I have trouble getting the roots with these tall ones," he told her. 

She eyed him suspiciously, and he snorted. 

"I usually break them off at ground level and wait for them to grow back. My fingers don't work the way they used to," he said, pausing a moment to shake the soreness from his hands. Rey sighed, but she got up and went to join him, settling to start working doggedly at the tap-rooted weeds.

The arthritis line worked every time, and Kes smiled as Rey got to work on something she could work out some aggression on.

He let her work for a while before joining her again. Of course he wasn't the least bit arthritic, but it was a good lie for a good cause. They worked together in panting silence until the flower beds were nicely cleaned up. 

"Well, that's a good—oh, Rey, look," Kes whispered, nudging her gaze toward the blanket, where Sam had hauled himself into a sitting position with the help of Crix Madine and was now giggling and patting the pittin's back. Crix gave them a long-suffering look, but was probably secretly enjoying the attention, and turned to start licking Sam's hair to show it—at which Sam laughed, flailed, and fell back over.

Rey laughed, watching her son roll happily on his back as Crix Madine tried to get him to stop squirming around, pinning him gently with his giant paws. This only encouraged further squirming, but also giggling, and Rey couldn't help but smile. "Your pittin seems to have adopted Sam. At least he's a good babysitter...though he may have to fight BB-8 for the job," she said.

"I think BB-8 has got his hands full with Poe," Kes said wryly, while Crix continued to groom the baby. 

...

"Sall, I've got this," Poe said, with gritted teeth as he gripped the bars. 

"If by 'got this' you mean you've got a hyperextension waiting to happen, then sure. And don't crush another one of my bars, Dameron," the Bothan warned, watching Poe's left hand with trepidation. 

With a growl, Poe relaxed, letting her arrange his feet. He was standing along walking bars that were set up along one side of the room, but she wasn't even letting him walk down them yet. "Okay. Okay." 

Looking up, Poe saw that BB-8 was giving him a lighter thumbs-up, and he smiled. "Sorry, doc. Just get impatient." 

" _ And _ you're being a wuss about your exercises," she teased. 

"How dare you." 

"Lift your knees. One at a time. We're supposed to watch out for those implants, so tell me if there's any sharp pains in your knee or hip...oh, hello, Major," she said, saluting Finn from near Poe's knees.

"Hi Sall. How are things?" Finn asked as he propped his shoulder against the door frame. It was good to see Poe standing, even if he was supporting most of his weight with his arms. It almost took the sting out of being sent home like a misbehaving child.

"Rey and I are both grounded until after the wedding," he said to both Sall and Poe.

"Good. You can help Poe with exercises. It's about time you two gave it a rest—you know I see far more soldiers with injuries from overworking than from battle? They tend to hurt themselves," Sall said, entirely without sympathy, and Finn frowned.

"No way," Poe said, sarcastically, "I don't know anyone like—whups!" 

As both Poe's legs and right arm gave out, Sall surged to her feet, and Finn met her on Poe's other side, barely catching him in time. 

"Shit," Poe said. "Sorry. Uh." He grinned up at Finn. "Come here often?" 

Sall rolled her eyes. 

"I certainly will now," Finn answered, letting Sall take all of Poe's weight for a second so he could duck in between the bars and take her place. He wrapped his arms around Poe as if hugging him, though hugging usually didn't involve supporting all of his weight. He looked down at Poe's tired, somewhat grouchy face. "I heard it's a good place to pick up handsome starfighter pilots. Would you happen to know any?"

"Ridiculous, both of you. Poe, take some of your weight before your handsome prince drops you. Finn, I'm going to teach you how to actually hold him so that you're helping. Don't think I can’t tell this is a thinly veiled excuse to grope your fiancée," Sall said, and Finn offered her a bright grin.

"Sorry, sorry," Poe said, getting an arm around Finn and squeezing his ass playfully. "I'm okay. Uh. Getting some pain in my left hip." 

"Sharp?" 

"No, dull," Poe said, leaning heavily on Finn and his right leg. 

"That's to be expected while you're recovering. Let me know if it turns sharp. Do you want to stop?" 

Poe slung an arm around Finn's neck. "Not while I got my arm around this handsome fella." 

"Okay, we're still working. Don't make me start lecturing you in graphic detail about the very short list of approved sexual activities while—"

"Oh, gods, Sal, you're ruining it!" Poe laughed.

"Okay, as much as I'm enjoying this, you're supposed to be working. Ready to sit, or do you want to try standing again?" Finn asked. Poe's weight was a bit of a strain on his arms when he held him like this, which was actually something of a relief: it meant Poe wasn't just skin and bones anymore, which meant soon he would have recovered enough weight to actually build muscle, something that had not gone unnoticed by Kes. Most of their meals were becoming very protein heavy…

"No, no, I can do this," Poe said, and, with effort, managed a few of the leg-lifts that Sall wanted him to, until he was actually sweating. 

"Okay, I'm ready to sit down now," he admitted several minutes after he should have.

"Well, if you're going to be here, Major, you can help, and he can be insufferable with you. Let's try the chair for a bit again, Commander, how's that?" 

"Ugh. Not fine," Poe said, completely frustrated with his progress. 

"You haven't seen what I've done for you, though," Sall said, as they moved him back into the hoverchair. "Finn, will you help me get something out of my speeder?"

"Yes?" Finn said, curious, and followed Sall—though he first stopped to give Poe a kiss on the forehead for putting up with physical therapy. 

"What chair? His hoverchair?" Finn asked as he followed the Bothan back to her speeder.

They lifted a large and heavy contraption that Finn couldn't even begin to describe out of the speeder and brought it inside. 

"What the—" Poe said, as Sall began, with Finn's help, to attach it to the hoverchair. 

"I know you'd  _ rather  _ be flying, so...."

"Oh, gods, is that a sim?" Poe laughed. "Why are you hooking it up to the chair?" 

"I've added pedals in, like in an X-wing—"

"...That's not—"

"Okay,  _ sort of _ like in an X-wing. It's pretty good for a guess, Commander, leave me alone. The idea is you build up your muscles playing fly-y fight-y games." Sall stood up, checking the stability. "Okay, can you lift your foot into the pedals?" 

Poe grunted, making an attempt, but his muscles were so atrophied it was a struggle, and he tried lifting his leg with his arms before she glared at him. Just getting his legs up into the pedals had him sweating. 

"Okay," he gasped.

"Sam is going to love that," Finn commented as Sall rigged up the screen for the simulator. She stepped back to survey her handiwork and nodded. 

"Ready to give it a spin?" she asked, and Finn leaned his hip against the parallel bars to watch.

"Awesome," Poe laughed, immediately engaged as he loaded up the sim. Soon he grunted in frustration. "Okay. Okay. No. Wait. This isn't right."

"You have to work your arms and legs, Commander. Just like in the cockpit. At least—I think so? I haven't actually been in one of those things." 

"I assure you they  _ don't  _ work like this," Poe said, struggling just to get to the menu, but, biting his lip, he eventually figured the system out: just like learning a new starship, he had good instincts and the rest was trial and error. The pedals were required for a lot, since the usual buttons were disabled, and he was tired before he even got himself into a simulated X-wing. 

"Okay, here we go!" he announced. 

Sall and Finn stood back to watch, smiling gently, and then she turned to Finn: "Hey, any chance I could get a cold drink?"

"Yeah, of course," Finn said, nodding back toward the kitchen and following after Sall. He glanced at her and grinned wickedly. "Everything alright? And do you want water, or is my fiancé driving you to drink?" 

They hadn't quite had the chance to restock after the dent the old timers had put in the spirits, but beer was easily enough picked up from a number of nearby shops, and Finn had found that Kes always seemed to keep two or three cold.

"Water's fine," Sall responded. "Something cold." 

There was a loud swear from the other room, and Sall poked her head out of the kitchen, but Poe seemed more frustrated with the game than hurt or upset, so she didn't intervene. 

"He's doing really well. But it'll be nice for him to have you and Rey around, I think. And, I am serious, as a medical professional I must insist that his hips need some more time to heal before you do anything particularly strenuous..." Sall winked.

Finn snorted, nearly choking on his own glass of water. 

"Uh—yeah. I mean, of course, we don't want to hurt him, even if it has been a really—look, I'm going to stop there and just assure you we'll be responsible adults," he said. 

Sall laughed.

"You better, or all three of you get to have this conversation in full with Dr. Kalonia, and that will be awkward," she warned him, just for good measure.

"Duly noted," Finn reassured her. “And, thank you. I think he really appreciates the sim.”

“It’s just an old one I repurposed." 

"Help me, it's broken!" Poe called, and when they joined him he stared dumbstruck at the hologram. "I  _ crashed _ . I never crash!"

“Have you forgotten how we met?” Finn retorted. “Or why you’re in this chair in the first place.” 

“Getting shot down is  _ not _ the same thing!” 

"Maybe it just needs to get used to you," Finn suggested. 

"You might actually be right. It probably needs to be calibrated—guess you'll have to do that first, Poe. It's one of the menu options," Sall said, pointing. "But you can do it tomorrow if you'd like to be done for the day. I think I've tortured you enough this afternoon. I'm not lugging that thing back and forth, either, so it'll stay here. I'll show Finn the manual and how to hook it up to the hoverchair until you can reach everything yourself." 

She nodded to Finn and then went to the door. 

"I'm going to go dote on your child and see if Rey wants to fix my speeder so it doesn't try to kill me when I have to down-shift unexpectedly," she told them, and then she was gone. 

Finn looked to Poe and raised his eyebrows.

"I am confident I can unhook everything, if you're done. I don't need a manual for that, at least," he told him, and then grinned with sudden inspiration. "We could go sit on the porch and I can tell you about how I found out I'm grounded."

Poe gave Finn a brilliant smile. "Yeah, I'm done, buddy. Thanks. You know yesterday she threatened me with a stationary bike. But this is much better."  

As Finn detached the last of the apparatus, Poe grabbed Finn's arm, and pulled him in for a kiss. "Thank you."

Then Poe pulled back with a grin. "BB-8, did  _ you _ know he'd been taken off clearance?"

BB-8 rocked back and forth and Finn frowned at them.

[Friend-Finn didn't  _ ask _ ...] they burbled.

"You could have warned me anyway," Finn said, and BB-8 rolled over to bump against his shins. “It was embarrassing.” 

[But Coni asked me not to] they said. [And she is still sad sometimes.] 

Finn sighed, because he couldn't argue with that line of reasoning.

"Well, she thought it was hilarious completely out of proportion, and Kix had to rescue me," he told them. They rocked again, happier this time, and rolled out the door with a little waterfall of chirps. 

"And that was basically my day. Getting laughed at," Finn added, turning to Poe. He bent down for another kiss and sighed a little wistfully. "How was your day? I saw your dad out front attacking the garden..."

Poe squeezed Finn's hand, and let him push him in the hoverchair out to the porch, following BB-8, to where they could see the Force tree, and Rey and Kes working in the garden, and Sam sprawled out on top of Crix Madine. 

"Yeah. Fine. I can almost make it to the bathroom on my own with just a cane." 

Poe hadn't meant to sound quite so sarcastic about his own development. He shook his head and gazed up at Finn, pulling his hand close to kiss his knuckles. "I dunno. We can all be frustrated together, I guess."

Poe turned Finn's hand over in his, and kissed his palm, and then his wrist. "Frustrated in  _ every  _ sense of the word.”

“Tell me about it.” Finn sighed softly and squeezed Poe's hand. 

"Want to go sit with Sammy and Crix?" he asked suddenly. It would get Poe out if the chair, and Finn could hold him close, and probably Rey would join them if she was done killing weeds. The sun was pleasantly warm, which might even make him forget that he was grounded.

Poe smiled. "Think you can keep your hands off me in front of our kid? Because I'm not sure I can."

But yes, Poe would like to be out there, in the not-too-warm sun, with his  _ family _ , that he had almost lost forever. Moments like these were what they were all fighting for. 

Poe chuckled. "...But I'll try to be good. You coming outside, Bee?"

[No, it's all right] the droid said, sounding so morose Finn and Poe turned to look at them. [Sam likes the pittin better than me.]

"BB-8, buddy, that's just not true!" Poe protested. "What would Sammy do if you weren't there watching over him while he sleeps, and being his night-light? Who's he gonna learn Binary from, Midi? No offense, Midi!"

[None taken, Master-Poe!] the maintenance droid chirped.

Finn turned to face BB-8 fully and crouched, because that made his heart hurt. "Come on, have you seen how excited he gets when he sees you?" 

He gestured to the droid, coaxing them out onto the porch. 

"Look, watch this. Hey Sammy, look here!" he called to his son, who flailed and rolled until he could see the porch.

As Finn had predicted, Sam screeched in delight and held both arms out toward the three of them, trying to roll himself over to his belly. When this proved less than successful, he started fussing, which Finn head not quite expected to happen so immediately. 

"Oh no, it's okay, we're coming over there!" he reassured the baby. But Sam was having none of it.

"Now you've done it," Poe laughed, as Sam began to scream. 

Luckily, BB-8 zoomed over, and used one of his arms to lift Sam back into a sitting position. The baby cooed and giggled, now having added 'Bee!' to his repertoire of sound-words, joining 'Bapa,' 'Dada,' and 'Mama.' 'Abo' was still hit or miss, but Kes wasn't worried. 

Since Sam seemed pleased with both BB-8 and Crix Madine, an uneasy truce was struck between pittin and droid. 

When they made their way outside, Finn helped Poe to sit on the blanket next to Sam in the dappled sun and shade. 

"Nice of you to join us," Kes said, "now that we're done with the hard work."

"Hey, I just got scolded for working too hard," Finn said, nodding in the direction of the Base, and saw Sall still rummaging in a bag attached to her speeder, probably for the promised manual.

Poe carefully eased himself onto his back, relaxing in the warm shade and the comforting presence of everyone around him, and might have fallen asleep if Crix hadn't left Sam in the care of BB-8 to sit on his chest and demand pets. 

"I'll be right back," Finn said when she found it and turned back to them, and he went to meet her by the gate.

Sall handed Finn the manual. "I mean, Poe can figure it out, but here it is, anyway. And I'll be back, uhh, day after tomorrow? You know the drill, but he's got his literature on the stretches and exercises he needs to be doing. All right?"

"I think so. We'll try to keep him from hurting himself. Did he complain about how we won't let him sleep in the other bed because we're afraid he'll hurt himself?" Finn asked, smiling and shaking his head fondly. 

It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep telling him no, when both Rey and Finn missed sleeping with him. But if he slept with them, activities that Sall had explicitly warned against were about a million times more likely to happen, because it had just been  _ so long _ . They at least had had the chance when he was in Medical to all cuddle up together and sleep, but having sex while Poe was hooked up to heart monitors had appealed to no one. 

Even Rey, who as a rule tended to be less eager for intimacy than Finn or Poe (maybe it was the asexuality, or a Jedi impulse control thing), was becoming impatient.

Not that Finn was particularly inclined to explain any of  _ this  _ to Sall, or any other medical professional.

"Oh, endlessly. Asked me every possible question about when it would be safe to have sex again. Started describing positions until I told him I could file a sexual harassment case against him," Sall laughed. "He tried to argue that denying him sex with his affianced was  _ also  _ sexual harassment." 

Sall got into her speeder and buckled up. She had an idea where Finn was going, but it was a little too amusing to go easy on him, so she waited. "I only made him work so hard to shut him up."

This sounded exactly like something Poe would do, and Finn chuckled. "I would apologize, but I can't promise it won't happen again… But I can assure you, neither Rey or I are going to allow anything that might hurt him. We know he's not supposed to do anything fully weight bearing or with a wide range of motion to any of the new joints or bones."

There were lots of ways around this, if they got even a little creative.

Sall raised an eyebrow, as if reading his mind. 

"...But it sounds like you have plans?" Then she laughed and waved a hand. "Look, just make sure he doesn't move too much, and that you don't hurt him. He doesn't let on, but he's in pain a lot of the time. Look, I think you humans usually have pretty tame intercourse compared to...not that I've dated another Bothan in years..." 

Finn was flushed darkly, and Sall took pity on him. "Okay, TMI. I'm off-duty I'm allowed to say these things now. Just make sure he doesn't move something in a way he's not supposed to in the heat of the moment, you know? Between the two of you, you can handle that, right?"

Finn's cheeks still felt hot, but he nodded."Yeah of course. Rey can just, you know, threaten him. She can be really scary when she wants to..." 

Sall spluttered a laugh. "Yeah, okay, now maybe  _ that's _ TMI!"

She put her goggles on her head and threw the vehicle into drive. "Have fun, you crazy kids. Make sure he's not too tired for PT day after tomorrow." 

And then she was gone. 

Back at the garden, Rey had joined Sam and Poe on the blanket, letting Poe rest his head in her lap while BB-8 continued to entertain Sam with an engrossing conversation in what Rey had realized was a baby-talk version of Binary. 

"That's amazing," Poe laughed, marveling how a computer language could be adapted to appeal to baby humanoids.

"Our kiddo is going to be so multi-lingual," Finn noted as he joined them. BB-8 beeped happily at him before returning to their conversation with Sam. "Mmmm, I guess if this is how we get to spend our forced vacation time, I could maybe learn to deal with it." 

It was a wonderful scene, his little family content and relaxed in the shade. He joined them, settling next to Rey and putting his arm around her as she leaned over against his side. The manual was cast aside for the moment in favor of having another free hand. He carded hours fingers through Poe's hair and sighed happily. "How are you, loves?" 

"Hey, man, I am great. Got everything I want right here. My honeys, my baby, my droid, my pittin..."

"Your Papa still working his ass off over here," Kes said, tossing aside the last of the weeds as he groaned to his feet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As we were editing this chapter to post, Lina came at us with this gem and so we had to include it in the story: "I was in walmart today and I saw a bib that said 'Droolin' is my day job' and I thought of Sammy what have you done to me" so credit goes to her for that one.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about that trailer, amirite? We're so hyped, have another chapter!
> 
> Also, we apparently forgot this story got explicit, so note the rating change and enjoy some fluffy smut after a long dry spell for our heroes.

As Kes approached, he beamed at them, sitting on the blanket and enjoying the cool. "Look at you. So beautiful. So glad you're home. Ah! I know what you need."

And then Kes was mysteriously gone. Poe sat up.

"What's he doing?" he asked, but before anyone could guess or reply, Kes returned, and Poe’s jaw dropped.

"My quetarra?!" he yelped, looking around at all three of them. "Dad! You guys! Finn, you said everything was _destroyed_!"

"Not anything that was on the _Falcon_ already. Got lucky, I guess," Rey said, kissing his forehead. "You gonna play for us?"

"Am I!" Poe cried, leaning back against Finn as he took the instrument, careful not to knock it into baby or pittin or droid, and began to tune the instrument. His new fingers worked just as well as he remembered the old ones working, curling around the familiar instrument so naturally that for the first time, actually, Poe didn't feel like his prosthetic hand was a prosthetic.

For the first time, here was something he could _do_.

Finn shifted just a little to make it easier for Poe to lean against his chest, and Rey squirmed a little to get comfortable as Poe started to play.

"I missed that," Finn said very softly when Poe finished tuning. "You never did teach me and Rey, more than those few lessons."

There hadn't really been time, of course, between one thing and another. Both of their instruments were stashed safe on the _Falcon_ , but completely unused.

"We could do that now. Not...you know, _right_ now, just while we're talking a break," Rey suggested.

"You mean you had them the whole time and didn't take them out to practice?" Poe admonished, strumming a few chords to check that the instrument was in tune. "You know when I was lying there half-dead and unable to move, some _music_ would have been nice, I'm just saying."

"It wouldn't have sounded as good if we were just practicing!" Finn protested, leaning down to bite Poe's ear in retaliation.

"Ow, sure it would have," Poe said, but patted Finn's knee. "It's okay, I forgive you. Thanks for..."

But there was too much to thank them for. Poe would rather sing than talk, and Rey picked up Sammy to listen. Crix followed him onto her lap, settling by the warm baby. And as Poe began to sing, Rey remembered that this was a duet, and joined him singing:  

"The worst is over now and we can breathe again  
I want to hold you high, and steal my pain away..."

Finn smiled, and Sam went quiet, and Rey and Poe's voices wove through each other, perfectly balanced, and Finn was at peace. When the song ended, they all remained quiet, as if they might hold on to the moment as long as they didn't make a sound.

Then Crix sneezed, and it made Finn jump, which made Rey laugh. "That was a pretty one. It suits you."

Finn was about to continue when Kes came back outside.

"You should sing a newer song for them! That one is as old as Rey!" he teased Poe.

"Oh my _gods_ , Dad," Poe groaned, covering his face and letting the quettara slide down his lap. He was about to argue that the song wasn't _that_ old, he had been in school still when this one was cool—but then he remembered that that was about when Rey was born anyway... "Ugh. You _are_ that young, aren't you?"

Rey shrugged and smiled.

"Well, all songs are new to me," she pointed out.

"Me, too," Finn said.

"Charmers, the pair of you," Poe laughed, and strummed a few chords again. "What's for dinner, pops?"

"I dunno. You're in charge."

"You're going to make your _poor_ , invalid son—"

Kes laughed. "That's not gonna work any more."

Poe glared. "Fine. Finn, you wanna help me?"

"I suppose I could," Finn said lazily. He yawned and nudged Poe to sit up. "What're we making? No, Rey, you and Kes stay here, and we'll surprise you," he said as Rey, too, shifted to stand up.

She looked up at him and stuck her tongue out, but settled back down with Sam in her lap.

"You can keep the old man company," Kes added with a good-natured and melodramatic groan as he joined them on the ground.

"Don't say that about our son," Poe said, as Finn helped him to move back into his hoverchair, "just because he's Finn's clone doesn't mean he'll be born an old man."

"Do you want me to drop you?" Finn laughed.

"You wouldn't." Poe said sweetly.

"Are you sure about that?" Finn asked, but the effect was somewhat lost as he supported Poe's weight until he had settled in the hoverchair. "Okay come on, we want to eat sometime before Rey and I get as old as you," he teased before bounding back up the steps and into the house, almost as if he expected since kind of retaliation for that last wise-crack.

Rey shook her head at both of them and looked over at Kes. "You'll be lucky if there's a kitchen left.”

"I hear it's you and Finn who light things on fire while cooking," he responded.

"It was _one time_!" she spluttered. Sam, excited by the sound, bounced in her lap and giggled.

"It was ingenious, I'll give you that," Kes said, and when Rey started making disagreeing noises again, he chuckled. "I'm only kidding, mija. Besides, if they burn it down, I'll make them build me a new one! A much better one. With no power tools, just to teach them the value of hard work..."

Rey laughed in surprise, unable to tell if he was joking.

From inside, there was a clatter, then silence, then Finn shouting "I'm okay!"

When Rey raised her eyebrows at Kes, he just smiled.

"I did tell them not to pile the pans that way..."

Inside, Finn had decided, first of all, that he wasn't doing a damned _thing_ until he cleaned and organized the kitchen: it looked like a bunch of drunk hooligans had put everything away! To begin with, then, Poe was on his own, and, not for the first time, thanking/cursing the gods that he had such an anal-retentive neatfreak for a future husband.

"Okay, okay, give me the one big pot. We'll make a stew," Poe laughed. "I'll only use the one pot. One spoon. Knife. Cutting board."

Grumbling, Finn laid these items out on the low kitchen table where Poe could work, and Poe diced vegetables and tracked down a chicken in the conservator that he had to lie to Finn about ("Oh no this one came from the store, I think, buddy,") and which he began to carve into without too much mess.

When Poe turned his hoverchair around with his pot full of ingredients on his lap, the kitchen already looked a thousand times better.

"Uh. I should probably take this opportunity to mention that my mom was the neat freak in the family, right?" Poe chuckled. "Put this on the stove for me, honey?"

"Poe Dameron, star of my skies, if it really bothered me that you are only ever barely organized at best, you'd have known a long time before now," Finn said dryly, and he took the put and placed it up on the stove before turning back to Poe to give him a quick kiss. "Should we make dessert? Not flan, I know that takes too long. But something else?"

Finn looked around the kitchen as if for inspiration.

Poe hummed, beckoning Finn into his arms, and when Finn was close enough, he tucked a hand around his waist and, looking him dead in the eye, squeezed his ass. "I dunno, I got all the sugar I need right here.”

Finn laughed at this and leaned forward the inches necessary to kiss Poe again, longer this time than before. When he reluctantly pulled away several long moments later, he in no way felt as if it had been enough.

"I heard you were giving Sal—sopapillas?—a hard time," he said, and went to rummage for the ingredients to the fried, pillowy dessert.

"I need to be able to stand to make sopas," Poe complained, but it wasn't like he was super comfortable in the chair, either. "And I was not either giving her a hard time! She was giving _me_ the dos and don'ts and exercises and I asked her if my horizontal dancing career was shot and—" Poe laughed. "She started answering me before she got it. Of _course_ she's all mad now."

Poe hovered himself over to Finn to help mix the batter. "I mean, after a while the simple high of just being alive does wear off, even after something like...that."

They were quiet for some time, except where they focused on the sopapilla dough. "Can I sleep with you guys tonight?"

"She didn't say no..." Finn answered, but held up a finger to stop Poe responding immediately. "She didn't say no, but there are rules." He started cutting the dough into triangles and passing them over to Poe, who could probably just reach the frying pan.

"...I refrained from telling her that was even better," Finn added, and when he grinned, it was a little mischievous. "Especially since the rules are mostly that you stay still no matter what, without us having to keep you there. Think you can do that?"

Poe dropped the dough triangle into the oil, and jumped as is spluttered at him. "Uh. _Yeah_!"

Grinning and blushing, Poe got to his feet to keep an eye on the sopapillas. "I mean, I think I would just about sell my soul for a handjob—or like, enough privacy to masturbate? Do you have any idea what being bedridden does to a man's ability to take care of himself? So, yeah, I'll be good, whatever. It doesn't need to be a game. I just want you and Rey close to me. I _can_ be a good boy without the promise of punishment, you know."

But Finn laughed at that.

"What's that about being good?" Rey asked as she walked into the kitchen. "Kes is teaching Sam plants. When’s dinner ready?”

"A few minutes.”

“Poe says he can be good without the promise of punishment," Finn told her, and she, too, laughed.

"I think we should test that later," she replied. "So I assume sex is allowed now?" she added, looking between them. There was no other reason for them to be quite so... _wound up_ would have been a good description. But the good kind of wound up that was infectious and made her laugh again.

Poe's stomach flip-flopped deliciously at their teasing, and what had been a distant simmer was fanned into an actual flame. "It's allowed as long as I don't do anything, I guess. Which is stupid, I _tried_ to tell Sal it would be good exercise, but she didn't agree."

Rey let him lean against her as he returned to his sopapilla situation, and managed not to burn the last few in spite of being very distracted.

“Would it help if I told you to just lie back and take it?” she teased.

"I _mean…_ ” Poe said, blushing, but he was on a very short fuse tonight, apparently.

“Damn it, I'm gonna need a blanket to put in my lap," Poe laughed as they helped him to sit again. He hadn't had a boner at the dinner table in at least a decade, but he still remembered the tricks.

"You hate lap blankets," Finn said, which was generally true. But maybe if they made up a likely excuse? "What if we said the pitten keeps shedding on you?"

"What if we just didn't say anything at all unless Kes asks, and then we can make something up?"

They found a blanket for Poe ("At least look _cold_ or something!") and Rey went to tell Kes that the stew was ready. They clattered around setting the table for a moment before everyone gathered around—even Sam, who sat in his highchair and got his own small bowl of soup to splash all over his near vicinity.

When they finished and had cleaned Sam up, they sat and ate sopapillas until the baby's eyelids started drooping and he yawned adorably.

"Here, let me see this precious boy. How would you like to go look at the stars before I put us both to bed, huh, little man?" Kes asked, not at all fooled as he offered to take Sam from Finn. "Let your parents have some time to themselves. They look like they have some uh...conversing...to do."

Finn made a sound of embarrassed surprise.

"Well now that _that's_ probably killed my erection..." Poe said, and laughed, grabbing Finn's shirt and pulling him into a kiss, until Rey nosed her way in for one. Poe sighed and sat back as he watched Rey conclude by kissing Finn.

"So we having a sleepover tonight?" he asked with a smirk. "We can braid Rey's hair and talk about cute boys."

The joke was somewhat lost on Finn and Rey, who had never been to a sleepover.

"I think we could take a very fragile pilot to our bed, if we were well-behaved, don't you agree, Finn?" Rey asked.

"Hey! I'm not _fragile_!"

"Does that mean you _don't_ want to be taken to bed?" Rey asked. Her wicked grin belied her innocence, and Finn just...wanted. He wanted Rey and Poe in bed with him immediately, primarily. And okay, so he wanted to take Poe apart—gently, carefully—but that was mostly because it was as close as they could possibly be, crowded into each others' mental and physical spaces.

"Hey Finn? You with us?" Rey said, and he realized he'd zoned out. "Hopeless, both of you," she sighed, albeit fondly, and turned to saunter off toward their bedroom, leaving Finn to shuttle Poe's hoverchair along after her.

" _I'm_ here!" Poe exclaimed, and then grumbled, "And of course I want to be taken to bed!"

...

"...And it's not like I can't help," Poe continued, as they maneuvered him naked onto the bed, not bothering with pajamas. "My mouth still works. My hands work. My left hand might give really excellent handjobs now, who knows. Think we could put a dildo attachment on it?"

Then he laughed, welcoming Rey and Finn to bed with a kiss each.

Finn thought about this and then shrugged.

"I don't think you _need_ to. That might be weird. You have very wicked hands already," he added, taking Poe's left hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Anyway, tonight you don't get to help—not just because the doctor said so. Let us spoil you a little?" Rey asked. "We missed spoiling you. And spoiling each other."

Rey glanced up at Finn, who smiled and leaned over Poe to kiss her.

"She'll probably guilt trip you if you don't let her," he told Poe, and Rey laughed and shoved playfully at his shoulder.

"Hey, no rough-housing!" he yelped as he let the gentle shove bowl him onto his side. Very slyly, he slid his leg along Poe's and whispered in his ear lots enough for all of them to hear, "Our fiancée _really_ missed bossing us around."

Poe gave a small strangled squeak, reaching for Finn but getting caught by the wrist.

"For the record, _this_ fiancé misses bossing _you_ around," he grumbled softly, but let Rey guide him into a kiss while Finn slid a leg over his legs, pinning them without much effort. "Bossing anyone around. Pretty sure my kid could beat me up."

"I know, sweetheart," Rey said, playing with his hair. "And you're going to get better and then I'll let you have your way with Finn as much as you like," she said, like she had the authority (and she kind of did, and it made lust coil in Poe's belly that matched the delighted flutter in Finn's).

"But tonight, we do the bossing," Finn said. "The terms are that you don't get to move anything but your arms.”

Poe snorted, glancing down.

“That’s not a _muscle_ , Poe,” Finn said, aggrieved.  

Reylaughed, but raised an eyebrow, clearly in a little bit of doubt as to Poe's ability to be quite _that_ still. She ran her fingernails down his side to his hip and back up across his chest while Finn tugged softly at his hair and pulled him into another kiss.

"My boys," Rey sighed, "I love watching the two of you."

Finn glanced up at her, grinned, and kissed Poe again, deeper this time, relaxing into it even as warmth started pooling in his belly—and a little lower.

"Hmm," Poe said, letting himself relax, his pulse jumping under their fingers, wherever they touched him. He felt restless and electrified, like a current that was only safe and grounded when they were touching him. Then,

"Ohh," he moaned, as Finn's fingers trailed down his chest. "I—I'm allowed to move my mouth, too, right?"

Rey laughed. "Well, that would be _cruel_ , wouldn't it?"

“Sometimes I like it when you’re cruel to me,” Poe said with a shrug and a smirk.

Rey smirked back and grasped his hair—her hold very gentle—and turned him to kiss into his mouth. "We've missed you in our bed."

"I've missed you, too," Poe said, when he could, his chest giving a little shudder as Finn squeezed his hip and gave his cock an experimental, all-too-gentle pet—testing for pain. Poe panted with the effort it took to not rock his hips into it. "Nnghhuh. Fuck. Just _touch_ me, please."

Rey put her hand on Poe's other hip and continued to kiss him, taking her time as she reached for the connection between all three of them. Finn gave Poe's cock another stroke, more assured this time, as he'd seen no hint of pain.

But Rey paused. "May I?" she asked, having pulled back just slightly from kissing him, just to be certain.

"Yes, Maker, _yes_ ," Poe gasped, lifting his head to kiss her again to ease the way, inviting her into his head through his mouth.

And, while Finn was distracted, Poe cupped a hand between his legs, a massaging pressure on Finn’s cock that matched the slow, lazy, not-enough pace of Finn’s hand on his.

"Mmmm, good," Rey said, grinning so wide she almost couldn't kiss Poe. She settled very happily in the space that was equal parts herself, Poe, and Finn--who was currently making quiet little squeaking noises.

Finn stroked Poe harder, twisting his wrist and, since there was no rule against _him_ moving, hitched his hips forward to press against Poe's hand.

Poe huffed, feeling like he had won a small victory, as Finn rocked into his hand, and he turned to kiss him while Rey leaned in to kiss his neck, and Poe realized he was trembling, like this was his first time or something, and it made Rey giggle softly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Poe said.

"You cold?" she asked, sliding in closer and introducing her teeth to the side of his neck.

"I don't—maybe. No. I just—uh—it's been a while," he gasped, eyes rolling back at the scrape of Rey's teeth. "Shit."

"You want us to stop?" Finn checked, grasping Poe's wrist to push him away, but realized too late that this was his mechnoarm, and stronger than he anticipated.

"No! No, fuck, Finn. Don't stop. Please." He rolled his hips invitingly, craning his neck up to kiss him.

Finn paused when Poe moved, because that certainly wasn't allowed.

"Hey. Stop that," he told him, and Rey pressed his hip down as gently as she could.

"You had better stop that, or this all stops," she growled in his ear, and then nipped it.

"Guhh, _kriff_ ," Poe groaned, feeling like he was going to rattle apart. He wasn't really able to keep track of his limbs, squeezing Finn's thigh. "Shit, sorry."

"Maybe we should slow down," Rey hummed, kissing down his neck until she latched onto a spot to suck a bruise there.

Poe keened, arching his back way further than he was supposed to—or even meant to. "Rey—no—Finn! Don't stop, please," he panted.

"Poe, hey, love," Finn said soothingly, "Stop moving."

He kissed him and snuggled closer, using body weight to keep him still, but without actually putting pressure on his hips. He shifted anxiously and Rey reached over to put her hand on his lower back.

"You move. Let me," she told him, and they traded places, sort of, though Finn didn't move his hand.

Rey curled over Poe's chest, catlike, and nuzzled under his chin. "Okay?" she asked, because her weight was across his ribs, which until recently had still been healing.

Poe shuddered, whining softly. " _No_ —I mean, yes, I just—"

"Shh," Rey said, running a hand through his hair while she kissed him, and hooking one leg around his. "We don't want you to hurt yourself, Poe. So what do you want?"

"Just—want to be close," he gasped, trying to force himself to relax. He wasn't sure what his hands were doing anymore, and he soon realized Rey and Finn had each arm pinned under their bodies. "And don't _stop_."

Rey smiled and kissed his nose. "Then we won't."

She clambered off of him again and Finn began to jack him in earnest, while she slid her fingers into his mouth.

"Oh my gods," Poe said, around her fingers, not sure if he was going to _last_ long enough for that.

Finn kissed Poe's cheek and temple, and nibbled on the side of his neck before sucking a hickey on the other side, matching Rey's. "So good for us."

"Finn," Poe gasped, closing his eyes, close, and before he realized Rey's fingers weren't in his mouth anymore she was pressing them into him and Poe gave a strangled cry and came, with both of them trying to kiss him at once.

Finn and Rey gentled Poe after he came, stroking his sides and getting in each others' way as they kissed him. For the moment, Rey still held them bonded together, comfortable and content in the warmth of their connection through the Force.

"My beautiful husbands," she said to them, pressing kisses to their temples, their cheeks, their lips. "I love you." She shifted to tuck herself along Poe, as was her habit, and Finn smiled across Poe's chest at her. He had already made himself comfortable, one arm dropped across Poe's belly as he rested his cheek on his chest.

"Feel better, love?" he asked Poe, young his head back just far enough to kiss his jaw.

Poe waited until he got his breathing under control before speaking. "Y-yeah. Yeah. Love you, too."

Rey and Finn pressing into his sides was _so good_. He felt so warm and supported and loved and—well, messy, that was fine—but he had to laugh at the bulge jabbing into his hip.

"I'm gonna laugh if _your_ hardon ends up injuring me," he said, shoving Finn off. "Lie next to me and...let me touch you. Promise I'll only use my arm."

Rey watched, smiling, as Finn rolled onto his back and Poe slid his hand over the front of his sleeping pants.

"Ooh, I don't think you're wearing underwear. Someone thought they were getting lucky tonight," he hummed, sliding his hand under Finn's shorts. _This_ was electrifying, too, now that everything had a nice pleasant hum around it, and he could be _useful_. "You haven't touched yourself while I've been out of commission, have you?"

Finn moaned, his hips bucking forward to press into Poe's hand. Every nerve in his body was already alight, and he was trying very hard not to be desperate...but it wasn't working.

"Wasn't...wasn't the same," he grunted to Poe. He breathed and relaxed into the touch of both Rey and Poe.

"Oh, so you _did_? How naughty of you," Poe teased, lifting his head to kiss Finn until Rey pressed him back to the pillow.

The darkness around them was warm and velvety, just breaths and soft touches and love rippling through each of them.

"It's okay, buddy, we'll only punish you for that if you want us to," Poe whispered.

Finn groaned, and Poe and Rey laughed. "You like the thought of that? First thing I'm gonna do when I'm back on my feet is spend an hour worshiping you, and another hour wrecking you, and a third hour edging you within an inch of your life, until even Rey's hungry for it."

"You think highly of your abilities," Rey giggled, kissing Poe's neck.

"Hey, we're enjoying a pig-headed male fantasy, thanks," Poe joked. "Wait til we get to you and the strip-tease."

" _Poe_ ," Finn said through clenched teeth, fully understanding Poe's earlier frustration with how slow they'd been taking things. He hitched his hips up again, but Rey was having none of it— she dug her fingertips into his hipbone, pressing him back to the bed.

"It's hardly fair that Poe can't do that but you can," she scolded, but her grin at Finn's increasing desperation was far from discouraging him to continue trying.

"Haha!" Poe laughed. "Yeah. She's right. It's totally unfair."

Feeling Finn near the edge, he alternated slow and fast, and wished for his other hand or his mouth on Finn, but _picturing_ it was good enough when you had a Jedi involved, as she broadcast the thought back to Finn.

"Mm, I love you, Finn. Love you both, love you, Rey. Missed you." Their bond seemed sharper now, closer, like the connection had been disrupted by the long separation but was back to its former strength now, in this golden, electric moment, and he turned his head to kiss Finn's cheek and whisper, "Come for me, buddy."

Finn was poised there, his whole body lit and warm like the brightest sun, every feeling—physical and emotional—amplified as Rey took it and then reflected it like some sort of feedback loop. He gasped as everything gathered and crested and he came with a muffled shout, dimly remembering that there was a reason he was supposed to be at least a little quiet.

When the pleasant roar faded to something softer, he found himself trembling still and panting softly. Rey was stroking his arm softly and sharing an affectionate smile with Poe as she propped herself up on an elbow to look at both of them.

"There," Poe said after a few moments, with no little satisfaction. "Now I feel properly deflowered."

Rey spluttered and laughed. "Oh my gods, Poe. It wasn't _that_ long."

"Hey, you're not allowed to say what's a ‘long’ time between sex," Finn told Rey, and then nudged Poe: "At least _you_ were unconscious for half of it."

"Good point," Poe agreed, still panting a little.

Rey shook her head. "Well, since Poe has already cheapened the moment, I'll be right back."

Poe and Finn whined rather pathetically, but she came back armed with cool washcloths to clean them up before settling a light sheet over them.

"I get cold, even here," she warned, as she and Finn tucked themselves on either side of Poe. "So let me know if I hurt you trying to snuggle."

"Not sure I am physically capable of saying 'no' to an offer like that..." Poe laughed.

"You know what I mean!" Rey said.

Poe was running his fingernails up and down the inside of Finn's arm—the angle was awkward, and he couldn't reach much, but Finn wasn't complaining. "Doesn't feel synthetic, does it?"

"Nuh-uh," Finn said, already under the spell of the arm-scratches.

"I bet there's a setting on the arm, I could make it just keep going all night," he joked.

"Go to sleep, Poe," Rey said, putting her arm over the top of his.


	13. Chapter 13

Rey frowned as she walked out into the garden and saw Poe (napping under a tree), Sam (napping on Poe's chest), and Kes (supervisorially napping), but no Finn. She had looked everywhere she could think of—the bedroom, every living room and sitting area in the sprawling house, and it in the front garden. She'd even gone out for a good look at the tree, but he wasn't there either.

So where was he?

"Hey, has anyone seen Finn? I can't find him," she called, and Poe snorted awake, shifting Sam. He sat up, and Rey grinned at him—he was getting stronger, even if he was still under orders to use the hoverchair for all but the smallest of distances.

"I think I saw him over by the chicken coop," Poe offered. "If you don't mind a really slow walk, I'll come with you. I'd like a really slow walk."

Poe looked so wistful that Rey could hardly say no. She transferred a still-sleeping Sam to Kes' hold, and then eased Poe to his feet. He was stiff and weak, but he was good about using his cane and an arm.

"'Won't you take a turn about the grounds with me, good sir?'" Rey asked, affecting a High Basic accent. In their mandatory downtime, they were watching a _lot_ of holonovellas. Finn _really_ liked the period romances from Old Republic times.

"'My good madam, I am honored by your request of my companionship and I ardently accept your proposal.'"

They giggled, but it wasn't quite as much fun to babble in incoherently flowery language at each other when Finn, who liked it, wasn't around to tease about it.  

Poe took small steps, and by the time they got to the side of the house he had to stop for a brief rest.

"You just wait," he said, as she eased him to sit on an upturned bucket, "I'm gonna take up running again. Going to kick both your asses at running."

He just wanted to move _fast_ again.

Rey chuckled. "Ugh, I hate running. You can kick my ass by default. Race Finn. Ready to go?"

"Yup. Another five meters!" Poe joked.

"Oh, come on, that was nearly twenty. You're doing great."

"Don't patronize me."

"Why _did_ I invite you for a walk again?"

"Because I'm pretty," Poe said, as they linked arms and continued making progress toward the chicken coop.

Finn had first stopped by the chicken coop to check in on the chickens, who were glad to see him until he didn't feed them—except for the little black and white hen, who dutifully followed him the second she saw him, a feathery little shadow. Reassured that the chickens were okay, he continued on and rounded the corner of the barn to slip under the fence. The two horses were standing in the shade under the barn's extended roof—or rather, Baze was standing. Chirrut was sleeping on the ground near his feet, and only raised his head and sighed when Finn, chicken in tow, arrived.

They had the right idea, though, and Finn joined them in the shade to be greeted by a large, furry nose. He dug a sugar cube out of his pocket and handed it to Baze, who seemed content enough shifting to stand over both Chirrut and Finn.

"We should let you babysit, too," Finn said to the big horse. "Think you'd be willing to let me learn to ride you? Everyone seems to think I need to learn."

Baze just stood there, regarding him with passive interest, and Finn laughed. "You see, I'm so unsure of what to do with myself that I'm talking to animals now. At least you don't mind, right? I guess you couldn't tell me if you could..."

But the horses could have just as easily moved away from him. And Chicken (that was her name now, Finn decided) seemed to enjoy his company, because she fluttered into his lap and settled there with a couple of soft clucks once Finn started petting her. He grinned happily and smoothed the feathers on her back. It wasn't so bad, this life. He liked the farm, and the animals, and helping Kes grow things and tend his animals. He was even getting used to not having constant demands on his time, and to feeling himself actually unwind for the first time in...maybe forever, actually.

He was secretly positive one day he'd awaken from this elaborate hallucination to find Rey and Poe smiling at him fondly, all three of them curled close in their bed on the _Falcon_.

Lost in these daydreams was where Poe and Rey found Finn, half-sleeping in a patch of shade. Baze had shifted so he was providing shade for Chirrut as well as Finn, and Poe shook his head with a soft laugh.

"You are _too soft_ , my big guy," Poe said when they arrived, letting go of Rey to lean on the huge plough horse. He leaned into his neck. "You're carrying me back, okay?"

"What about him," Rey said, running her fingers over Finn's hair. "Look at this sweetheart cuddling a chicken."

Finn smiled up at Rey, his hand resting softly on the pretty stencil-marked feathers.

"I named her Chicken." He looked over and up at Poe, a little guilty. "I know I'm not supposed to, because they're food one way or another, but she's a _nice_ chicken."

He pet the feathers again, and Chicken gave a soft cluck, her eyes almost all the way closed and feathers relaxed and fluffed.

"See? She likes it when you pet her. None of the others do that," Finn added, looking between Rey and Poe and hoping for agreement in this. Not that he thought Kes would begrudge him keeping this one small chicken around—but he was also hoping for reassurance that no, the other chickens were not as outgoing as Chicken. They certainly didn't seem to be.

Poe choked back a laugh at Finn's earnestness, but just because he didn't see it, didn't mean it wasn't there. "She is a very nice chicken. You just better let Dad know. He let me keep one of the pigs as a pet once. Gods, she got huge, and horrible."

"Chicken seems safe, though," Rey said, crouching down by Finn and stroking her.

Chicken seemed content with this assessment, and remained mostly motionless for Rey to pet her.

"I don't think she'll get very big. She's already smaller than all the others," Finn said. He smoothed down a few feathers on her head and laughed when she responded by hunkering down so she looked like she might have no neck.

Sensing that he was being left out, Chirrut sat up with a snort and climbed to his feet, ears forward and swiveling like satellite dishes. He shook the dirt off his coat and Baze snorted at him, merely flicking his tail patiently when Chirrut took a few steps and bumped into him. Finn laughed as Chirrut proceeded to put his head over Baze's broad shoulders to nibble at Poe's hair.

"He's a menace, that little one, blind or not," Finn said in amusement as Chirrut, as if sensing he was being reprimanded, settled instead for bumping Poe's ear repeatedly with his nose.

"Be nice to him, we're disabled buddies together," Poe said, stroking Chirrut's nose. "That's right, I was blind, too, for a bit. It _does_ suck. No, sorry, bud, I am fresh out of snacks."

He laughed as the horse nosed into his clothes to check, and "Whoa!" Poe cried as he was nearly bowled over, and only supported by Baze until Rey could intervene, supporting Poe by the arm.

"Be gentle with him, you big bully," Rey scolded the horse. "You should know better."

Baze gave a great snort at that, though whether he wanted her to stop scolding Chirrut, or agreed with her, they couldn't tell.

Finn watched Rey and Poe and the horses with a small smile.

"Do you think they understand at all?" he asked. He didn't see how they could, but they seemed to like being spoken to nonetheless.

"Maybe. They understand intent, anyway, I think. Chirrut knows he just got in trouble," Rey responded, and indeed the horse was meekly standing with his nose just brushing the front of Poe's shirt. "I'm not sure about Chicken...but she does seem to be certain that she's safe with you," she added, regarding the sleeping chicken with amusement.

"Come on, come on," Poe was whispering, having taken Chirrut by the muzzle when Rey and Finn looked up.

A split second before he tried it, Rey knew what he was going for and started to her feet: "Poe, wait, no!"

But Chirrut had hunkered down now, somehow, and Poe was pulling himself onto his back before either of them could stop him.

Rey and Finn gasped, as much in surprise as concern.

"You're going to hurt yourself!" she screamed. "You're—Poe! You see, you did hurt yourself!"

Poe lay groaning on the horse's back, way too far back and clinging to his mane for dear life, but Chirrut was still, and Baze moved nearby. The movement had hurt, but it was mostly upper-body strength, which, for the most part, he still had. His right hip ached on that maneuver, but it was quickly fading. "Nah. Nah. I'm okay. Chirrut's gonna walk me back, right, fellah?"

"You're going to break your hip or something, and Sall is going to kill us," Finn said, scrambling to his feet and threatening Poe with the chicken.

"Hey, just trying it out," Poe assured them, and then couldn't resist teasing: "Definitely no pathological need to go really really fast..."

Rey held out her hands. "You want a speeder ride? We can go for a speeder ride, Poe. Think about this."

Poe laughed. "I'm not going anywhere. I just miss riding. You two could both get on Baze."

Chicken clucked.

"Chicken, too."

Finn was frowning, and Rey looked angry, but there was not much they could do to get Poe down that wouldn't hurt him. And either they let Chirrut carry him back, or they would have to. Rey turned to Finn and huffed.

"Alright, hop on," she told him, nodding to Baze's broad back. Finn looked from her to the horse and held Chicken against his chest.

"I can't get on," he said, indicating the chicken in his arms. Rey nodded to Baze again.

"Just set her on his hindquarters, it's fine. Don't kick her off when you swing your leg over," she told him, and since she clearly wasn't going to take no for an answer, he set Chicken up on Baze's hindquarters and stood facing his side. "Bend your left leg back," she said, and when he did, she grabbed under his knee and threw him onto the horse with an undignified squawk.

Poe laughed, watching them both scramble from the fence onto the huge horse's back, and watching Baze give a longsuffering sigh. He groaned as he sat up, his body not really used to or ready for this position, but he was already up here, and he trusted Chirrut. They were both rather old horses, and while Chirrut had been kind of insane as a pony, he had chilled out in his old age.

"Come on, bud, let's go for a walk. You know, we can do this with saddles, next time, it's a lot easier," Poe offered, working his hands into Chirrut's mane to guide him. "Baze'll follow, though. Come on, Chirrut, it's me, buddy. You know I won't steer you wrong."

They began a slow circle around the paddock, enjoying the air and the sun. After a while, the movement began to feel good on his hips, but Poe let them stop to munch on a big patch of grass.

"Having fun?" he asked Finn.

Finn was half clinging, half sitting on the horse's back, trying to figure out how he was supposed to sit comfortably when it felt like he was sitting on a large barrel. But Baze was kind and Rey wrapped her arms around his chest, and there was at least a lot of mane to hold onto.

"Poe, if this hurts my hips, I'm certain it's not good for yours," he grouched, shifting again to try to find a better position.

"Chicken approves, though," Rey said, laughing. She'd looked back to see if the bird had gone to find a more traditional chicken activity, but she was sitting on Baze's rump and looking around as if she had not a care in the world.

"Nah it feels good. Normally there’s a saddle involved, but..." Poe said, but he did lean forward to lay against Chirrut's neck. He was already tired. "Ugh, I was _just_ napping. How am I tired again?"

Chirrut gave a soft whinny, and, as if he understood Poe's need, stopped eating and turned toward the house. Baze stepped out in front, and Chirrut followed him closely, nose to tail

Poe was left staring at Baze's was, and the chicken sitting on it.

"Take me back to my fainting couch," he laughed. "You guys should go on a serious ride."

Rey turned to look over her shoulder at Poe. "It's because your body is already working hard to heal and rebuild, and you're out here adding to it by doing things like insisting on walking down here and riding horses."

But she wasn't entirely unsympathetic... "And you might need different vitamins or something than what you get from our cooking. We can ask Sal," she added. From up front, Finn seemed finally to have relaxed enough to talk without falling off the horse, though he didn't turn around—he wasn't crazy, after all.

"Maybe your body knows it can rest and it's taking advantage while it can," he suggested. Even he'd become accustomed to getting a full night's sleep, with Sam usually sleeping through the night lately or else alerting Kes' highly developed grandson-in-distress senses before anyone else heard him. "Anyway, I'm sure we can find something interesting to do that doesn't include me falling off a horse because I don't know what I'm doing. I'll try that sometime when you're there to laugh and scrape me off the ground..."

Rey laughed, patting his shoulder sympathetically.

"Yeah, we could sit and play sabacc in the sun and let Finn pet his chicken." Poe laughed, as Baze and Chirrut stopped at the edge of the paddock closest to the house. Poe surveyed the distance to the ground and hesitated.

"Okay I'm gonna need help getting down," Poe said.

Rey slid off Baze like she'd been riding her whole life (or just had very good balance and no fear of heights) and went to stand at Chirrut's side, hands on hips.

"Whose fault might that be?" she asked. Finn, left to his own devices, dropped off Baze's shoulders and nearly fell on his ass. He brushed his hands off and went to stand next to Rey.

"Can you even raise your right leg far enough to get it over his back?" he asked. He was pretty sure Poe couldn't, in fact, do that, and was already walking to Chirrut's other side to help.

"Hey. I saw _your_ dismount, hotshot," Poe protested, now clinging to Chirrut's mane a little fearfully. Just holding his legs up was beginning to hurt. He suddenly decided he knew what pittins felt like who had climbed too high in a tree and couldn't get down.

"I'll never make fun of Crix again for this," he murmured: kind of a non sequitur. "Just. Chirrut, won't you kneel? You did fine before."

"Can you just pull him off on your side, Finn?" Rey asked, going around under Chirrut's neck. "I can lower his legs."

Finn sighed, but Poe really did look like it was becoming painful to stay up on the horse, so Finn stepped close and held his arms up.

"Here, lean to the side—I won't let you fall, but you'll be able to catch my shoulder. Your legs won't have to do anything, just let Rey handle them," he said. It wouldn't be graceful, this sort of gravity-assisted dismount, but at least it wouldn't result in Poe landing on his feet or doing anything even worse to his hips. Sall was already going to kill all of them as it was...

"Okay, okay," Poe said, letting Finn grip him around the middle and clinging to his head until he was down from the horse and safely on solid ground, Rey and Finn holding onto him. He was panting slightly, but it hadn’t hurt. "Hey, that was fun!"

Chirrut gave a huff and knelt down in the long grass.

"Oh, geez. You could have done that before!" Poe complained. Baze moved nearby and stood over Chirrut, shifting his feet. They were good horses.

"How's Chicken? A more successful dismount?"

As if on cue, the chicken fluffed herself and flew-fell from Baze's rump to Finn's arms, flapping him in the face.

Finn scrambled for a moment as he tried to catch Chicken without dropping Poe, but when she realized his arms were not a good perch, the bird fluttered instead onto the top of his head. She stood for a moment, looking as surprised as he was, and then fluffed all her feathers and sat down.

It was good that Finn head a solid grip on Poe, because he laughed so hard that he otherwise would have dropped him.

"I guess that's one solution...What did you do to earn that chicken's loyalty, Finn? She actually likes you!" Rey said, also laughing. She wished BB-8 were here to take a picture, just so she could keep it always in her locket—and show it to everyone they knew. Finn, ex-stormtrooper, Major in the Resistance, and absolutely terrifying soldier when necessary, standing there with a ridiculous, goofy grin, dusty clothes, and a chicken on his head.

It was perfect.

Poe laughed. "I think she thinks you're her baby. Your hair's getting a little long, maybe you look like a really big chick to her."

He leaned in and kissed Finn, squishing their noses together.

Rey came onto Poe's other side and took some of his weight. "Some weird animals on this farm."

"Yeah, my dad among them," Poe muttered.

"I heard that!" Kes called.

He was lying on his back on the blanket, playing A-wing with Sam by balancing the baby on his feet. Sam was laughing and clinging tight with his flesh hand and his prosthetic: still a blue pincher, though he now accepted as occasional part of himself a softer green one for sleeping, after he gave himself too many black eyes with the other.

"Are you learning to fly already, Sammy?" Finn asked the giggling child. Kes bent his knees so he could let Sam down and sat up to look at the three of them.

"Why are you wearing a chicken on your head?" he asked curiously. Finn grinned brightly.

"She likes me...Poe said I could probably keep her if I told you." He reached up and touched Chicken's soft, feathery chest. She clucked at him but seemed otherwise unconcerned, and Kes laughed.

"I suppose? I don't see how I could ruin this." He laughed again. "Never seen anything like it."

"What, you've never seen a living thing take one look at my future husband and become instantly obsessed with him and want to dedicate their lives to him?" Poe chuckled, sitting on the blanket and pulling Sam into his arms. "Because I know, like, seventy-three sentients like that. Not counting babies and animals."

"Babies are sentients!" Rey protested.

"I mean, barely," Poe said.

Sam whacked him with his arm in the mouth.

"I suppose he is a bit like those princes in the holos you liked so much as a child," Kes said as Finn grinned a little uncertainly.

"Uh. Thanks?" he asked. He sat very carefully so as not to dislodge Chicken.

Sam reached up at Chicken.

"No no Sam, no grabbing. Only gentle pets," he told the baby, though he couldn't reach Chicken anyway.

"So did you give her a name?" Kes asked.

"Chicken," Finn said.

Kes looked at him oddly.

"...It's a good thing I didn't choose my own name, huh?" Finn asked.

"Aw, we'd love you even if your name were ‘Stormtrooper,’" Rey told him, taking a seat by his side and nudging his shoulder.

Poe burst out laughing at that. "I dunno, I'd find it a little difficult to moan something like that in bed..."

" _Oookay_ , and I'm leaving," Kes said, getting to his feet. "Come inside when you want food. You don't have to bring Poe."

"Aw, come on, Papa, I was only joking. We're definitely staying pure before the wedding."

"Speaking of the wedding, actually—" Kes began, and then shook his head. "You better come inside for that. Too much to talk about."

"Well, _now_ you've done it," Rey said, after Kes had gone in.

Sam shrieked and whacked Poe in the face again with his prosthetic.

"Okay, time to go see what's for dinner. You excited? I'm excited!" Finn said to Sam as he bent to take him so Poe could stand. Rey moved in to help him up, while Chicken apparently decided this was her cue and fluttered off of Finn's head to land at his feet. She looked around for a moment, gave a series of small, business-like clucks, and walked up through the front door like she belonged in the house.

"Oh no you don't, I draw the line. Pittins I will tolerate, but you, chica, are not allowed in the house unless you can be trained not to poop in here," Kes said from inside, and a moment later Chicken made a hasty, indignant exit.

She paused and looked up at Finn, and he grinned.

"Sorry girl, but he's the boss," he told the chicken.

And while she followed them to the door, this time she sat down outside it, on the porch, as if she might just nest there. Finn and Sam both looked at her for a moment before Finn shrugged.

"Okay then..." he said, and stepped past her to get inside.

Poe was unfortunately a captive audience while he chopped vegetables for a salad while his father lectured him about the wedding and all the traditions, Yavinese and Alderaanian (his mother's side of the family), that they would have to observe, including being sexually pure before the wedding.

He actually choked on the sip of his father's beer he was stealing at the time at that last one.

"Uh. I hate to break it to you, dad..."

" _Technically_ , it only needs to be a month before."

"A month?!" Poe and Finn cried at once, while Rey laughed.

"Gosh, that sounds difficult. We'll have to put Poe back in his own bed," she teased.

"Dad, that can't be a real thing."

"It is absolutely a real thing, Poe Bey Dameron. Which means that after the Awards Ceremony, no hanky-panky..."

"Wait, you never told me your middle name is Bey," Rey said, stopping in the middle of feeding Sam some applesauce, at which he made a frustrated noise.

"Wait," Finn said, who was doing math. "The Award Ceremony is _tomorrow_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are they _really_ reincarnated Chirrut and Baze? YOU DECIDE.


	14. Chapter 14

Finn paced: door, bed, desk, door, bed, desk, door...

" _Finn_ ," Rey said, exasperated, and he paused to look at her. "You're going to wear a path in the floor. Come over here and help," she told him, turning her back. Her dress was backless, with a tie at the back of her neck—it was awkward to tie herself.

Finn went to help her, brushing a kiss across her shoulders when he had finished. Then he looked to Poe, who was cutting a very handsome figure in his pilot's dress uniform.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Poe said, pulling Finn into his arms to give him a kiss. "Finn,  there's absolutely nothing to worry about. First of all, I'm not going to look very handsome walking with a cane. And second of all, whether you give a rousing speech or totally bomb it, either way I'm not going to rock your world afterward. So it doesn't matter!"

" _That_ sounds nice. Are you _sure_ we have to follow that 'purity for a month' rule?" Finn asked his betrotheds. At least with them dressed like this, hopelessly beautiful and frustratingly _hot_ , there was something other than his speech to worry about.

(Ugh, his _speech._ )

"Stop that. You're being ridiculous again," Rey told him, having either read his mind or his face.

Poe laughed bitterly. "Ugh, I hate it. It's an outmoded, patriarchal banthashit tradition. You know why they do this? To make sure the girl's not pregnant before they get married! That like, doesn't remotely apply in our case! And we already _have_ a little bastard."

"Don't call him that. I don't like that word," Rey scolded.

"It's not like anyone had sex out of wedlock, or at any point, to conceive him. It's not even accurate," Finn agreed.

"You're no fun, either of you," Poe concluded.

"Well we certainly aren't for...at least the next month," Finn grumbled, and Rey leaned in to kiss him, though she didn't steal him from Poe's arms. He looked very happy in them, for all he was currently pretending to be grouchy.

"Did you write your speech down?" she asked.

Finn shook his head.

Rey raised her eyebrows at him.

"It looks bad when you read off of flimsi. I'd just set it down and lose it anyway."

She rolled her eyes at him and returned to the mirror to fix her hair, leaving Finn with Poe.

"Look, my handsome fiancé, you already look far too dashing in your suit. Between you and Rey, they're not even going to _notice_ the cane." He nuzzled Poe's cheek and messed up his hair just a little.

"Ah, you three _do_ clean up well," Kes said from the doorway, then. He had Sam, but handed him off to Finn so he could go hug Rey and spin her in a gentle circle. It made the skirt of her dress swirl around her ankles, and she laughed.

"The same could be said for you!" she told him, but he scoffed.

"Thank you very much, hija, but the three of you are the ones who'll steal the show." He smiled ruefully, tugging at his tie. "And you're welcome to it. I will be sitting with one Lando Calrissian and his associates."

He looked positively gleeful, which probably meant there would be some kind of well-intentioned shenanigans.

"He's not invited to the wedding," Poe said loudly, even though Lando and his wife had of course already been extended an invitation and accepted. Poe was jealously certain he'd ruin the wedding by being more dashing than him.

Poe fussed at his uniform in the mirror.

"I don't know how dashing it is to be too skinny for a uniform that used to fit you," he complained. But be had shaved his beard and only one scar along his left temple still marred his pretty face—unless there were more wrinkles, or more gray at his temples.

"I'm dyeing my hair for the wedding."

"I think you look distinguished with a little bit of grey in your hair," Finn told him as he joined him to look in the mirror.

"Ba!" Sam agreed, reaching over from Finn's arms to grasp at Poe's sleeve.

"Sammy thinks so too," Rey laughed, and also joined them to look in the mirror.

They all looked healthier than they had—thanks, no doubt, to Kes' cooking and plenty of sleep—but they all had scars and worry lines that hadn't been there six months previous. They all looked older, more worn around the edges...well, except Sammy, who just looked older. But even BB-8 was getting a little worn.

"Hey buddy, how about we give you a bath and paint you before the wedding? Still want to be decorated?" she asked the little droid.

[Oh yes! I would like that very much!] the droid hooted, rolling happily around their feet. [Can we do it tomorrow?]

"Okay, buddy, we've got plenty of time," Poe promised, and scratched Sam's back before looking back at the mirror. "Well, we look like a family, anyway."

Rey smiled. "Agreed."

"So who all's getting decorated?" Poe asked, as they made the procession into the family speeder, Finn buckling Sam into his carseat while Rey helped Poe get in.

"Everyone who was in the battle: full Republic honors," Kes said, taking them at a sedate pace.  "Big show, lots of press. Nana and your Grandma and Grandpa Bey will be there, too. You three will be on the podium for special honors. I believe 3PO organized the event."

"Long as there's booze afterwards," Poe said. He was off his meds and wanted to relax with his pilots, or what was left of them.

Indeed, when they arrived, a small reception was already underway. The temple was transformed—not just for a party, but cleared entirely out for a ceremony.

Javos was there, and a gaggle of Press; Poe spotted Luke and Leia speaking with Kix; he was startled when someone offered him a cocktail on a tray—they had really gone all out. He felt even more like his uniform didn't fit—he was in his old Republic blues, though Finn was in the Resistance green, since they were all he had.

"Now _this_ is a shindig, right?" Snap said, as he joined them to lead them to a table so Poe could sit.

Rey and Finn were both looking around, Finn doing his best to appear nonchalant, Rey with open astonishment at how _different_ the temple looked, and how many people there were. It very briefly occurred to her to be intimidated by the number of people and their importance, but then there were also the pilots and Finn's soldiers, and they appeared to have claimed an entire section of tables as their own. Deeks and Connix greeted them as they sat—Deeks looking uncomfortable in his greens and Connix looking as unconcerned and confident as she always did. It was possible she was the only thing keeping Deeks from having a meltdown.

Finn looked over at Rey and they shared a small, amused smile as Poe was greeted jubilantly by his pilots.

"Relax, Deeks. You look like you're about to jump out of your skin," Finn said to the young pilot. Deeks gave him a slightly nervous smile.

"Tried that. Five times," Connix said.

"There are just...there are a lot of important people here," Deeks explained. Finn put his hand in his shoulder.

"Same, kid," he said, and Deeks, who had been expecting reassurance instead of agreement, barked a single short laugh.

"Ah, who is this handsome fellow—not you, Poe, your kid—come hang out with aunt Jess," Jessika said, joining them with Sevens in tow. They looked a little nervous, too, but cracked a grin at the look on Poe's face.

"You can just feel the love," Rey laughed.

The ex-stormtroopers all seemed a little nervous, and Poe knew it wasn't because of the crowds. Stormtroopers lived their lives around other stormtroopers. It was all the _brass,_  all the high-ranking officials all in one place, people whom they had been taught to _fear_ , drinking _with_ them, that was freaking them out.

That, and everyone was obviously staring at them. Everyone who hadn't met the ex-stormtroopers was fascinated by them, or pitied them, or wanted to meet them, or verify their stories, or get a scoop for their news station or their constituents. Luckily, every ex-stormtrooper had a buddy, a significant other, or, more likely, a pack of Resistance friends who surrounded them and had been briefed by Kix on how to handle nosy guests. Poe actually spotted his grandparents and father at a table nearby having what looked like a delightful conversation with some newer recruited stormtroopers—Tres and Dash, if Poe remembered correctly. Everyone was laughing, so Nana must have said something inappropriate.

Poe also spotted Leia rubbing elbows with some Senators. The look on her face told him she was not enjoying herself, and he had just resolved to attempt to go rescue her when a crisp-looking Republic aide with a datapad approached. "Commander Dameron, Major Finn, Ms. Rey, you'll process in after the command staff, before the Admiral and Generals. Here's the seating arrangement on the podium, but your seats will be labeled. The procedure will be procession, military formal, then a few opening words from First Senator Holdo, and then the awards will be given, and we'll conclude with Colonel—excuse me, Major Finn's speech."

Poe exploded into laughter and clapped Finn on the back. "Hey, congratulations, sweetheart! Are they promoting him before or after the speech? How much is riding on it?"

The aide was blushing. "You'll forgive me spoiling the surprise, sirs, I'm not—uhh—you won't tell—?"

Finn swayed a little when Poe clapped him on the shoulder, caught off-guard both by the aide's slip and Poe's response.

"Wait. What," he said, when he'd recovered somewhat from the shock. "But my speech, I didn't—"

“It’s fine, we won’t tell anyone,” Poe told the aide. “As long as he doesn’t pass out, you’re golden.”

"Finn, you didn't write a speech down anyway, stop being alarmist," Rey said helpfully.

Finn frowned at her, and she grinned and pulled him into a hug.

"You're fine. This is like...not high on the list of scariest things you've ever done. For one thing, no one but Kix and the security personnel—your own soldiers, I would add, who refused to let the Republic do the job—is armed, so no one will be firing at you," she said. Finn had to admit, grudgingly, that she had a point.

The aide, still blushing, coughed. "They likely won't start right on time...they never do. But if you'll meet me over there by the door in a half hour, we'll get everyone in order to go in."

She then excused herself from the conversation with a polite smile.

"Thanks,” Poe told her, then turned back to Rey. “Are you kidding? Finn thinks better the more people are shooting at him."

Poe laughed and tugged Finn into a seat, and then promptly stole his champagne, pouring it into his own glass. "You'll need your head for this, _Colonel_."

Rey laughed a little, too. "All this military pomp and circumstance is very silly. You're still Finn."

"Yes, but he's being _honored_ in a big way," Poe said.

"If they don't give Finn the Medal of Valor, I'm eating my old Resistance uniform," Snap said.

All the pilots were in their old Republic digs, except for those who came in through the Resistance, like Jessika. They all looked very smart: even Rey had to admit that.

"If they don't give him the Medal of Valor, we should all burn our Republic uniforms and put the Resistance ones back on," Karé said as she joined them. She was grinning, and she seemed happy enough, but as soon as she sat down she reached over and snagged Snap's drink.

"So... Iolo would have partied this up," she said, making it clear why she'd just guzzled Snap's drink in one go.

"Shit, yeah, he would have," Snap agreed, and snagged another drink off a passing tray. "Guess it's up to us, then," he added, and drank it like a shot. Karé looked at him oddly, and then she grinned.

"Oooookay, I'm putting a stop to this right now. Water, food, now," Jess said. "If not for me, _do it for the children_." She leaned down so Sam could flail gleefully at Karé and Snap. "...Do it for the children,.”

“Ugh, babies,” Karé shuddered.

“What? How can you not love this face?” Jess protested.

“I’ll like it when it’s grown up and turns into this face,” she said, jabbing a finger at Finn.

They were all stopped when the aides began to let the guests into the great hall, and after that, lined up the Resistance by rank and company.

"Stop, I don't _need_ that," Poe complained, when Snap tried to bring a chair along for him to sit in. "Rey and Finn are bad enough, man..."

"We're just looking after our dear commander," Karé protested. "Once you stop walking around with that pimp cane..."

"Excuse me?" Poe cried.

"It's not a pimp cane, it's a swagger stick," Jess tried.

"Ugh, I knew I should have just gone with the crutches. I hate you all," Poe said, but he was glad he _could_ get by with just a cane. He sighed. "Maybe it is a bit too flashy..."

This experience was kind of good practice for the wedding, Poe decided, since they had lined up by rank and company, and they had to wait their turn to go in, with only Leia and Statura behind them. Everyone in the Resistance who fought at the Battle of Dantooine was being recognized, of course, and part of the honor was walking in and joining ranks with their Republic allies.

The crowd inside was _roaring_ as each new group emerged.

"Sounds like a huge crowd," Poe chuckled. "They let my entire family in there?"

"I think there's a few more people than that," Leia said knowingly. She stood behind them in her own Resistance uniform: that was a Statement, if Poe ever saw one, and it almost made him wish he'd worn his greens.

"You _have_ been very secretive..." Poe said. "Should I be worried?"

They were up next.

"Of course not. Just don't forget to smile for the cameras."

"Commander, Major, Ms. Rey? You're up." The aide arranged them so that Finn and Poe stood side by side, with Rey between them and half a step behind. "You'll make your way to the podium and find your seats."

The crowd was huge, and it took Poe several moments and walking several meters to figure out why. They were going down a long walkway in the center, with guests on either side, and press lining the whole way, and Republic soldiers and pilots dwarfing the Resistance groups. Their ability to fight the First Order had increased tenfold, if not by more.

But that wasn't what had Poe glad he held Rey's hand and was still using the cane he didn't strictly need.

There were _stormtroopers_. You could tell because their rows were neater; they stood at parade rest better. Almost a thousand of them, and over half of them were pilots. Poe's eyes tracked behind them to find an army of X-wings all dolled up for the party, and rows and rows of TIEs beyond that.

They had a _chance_. They actually had a chance now.

Poe was nearly in tears by the time they reached the podium, and he was grateful to Rey for helping him find his seat. He rested his cane between his knees and finally caught Finn's eye. They were part of something _real_ now, and huge.

Finn wasn't sure he believed what he was seeing—rank upon rank of Republic blues and Resistance greens, the latter mostly in the tidy, even rows of the stormtroopers who had defected to their side. They stood in an arrangement of their own invention, which Finn took as the usual company and rank until he picked out familiar faces. As if making statements of their own, Resistance soldiers and pilots stood alongside their stormtrooper buddies. If there had been any lingering doubt as to the welcome his troopers would receive in the Republic, here they were laid to rest—he couldn't be everywhere at once to watch out for them, but he didn't need to be. The Resistance wasn't going to let anything happen to their ex-stormtroopers.

When they sat and he had a moment to look over at Poe, Finn's eyes were bright, and he blinked hard several times.

Next to him, Rey was still staring around in astonishment, but she tore her eyes away from what was in front of her to look at the two men next to her.

"Stars and skies...we have a _chance_." She smiled brightly, realizing what this meant. "A _real chance_!"

She was trying so hard to be quiet about it that she squeaked.

First Senator Amilyn Holdo stepped up to the podium, in what must have been 3,000 credits worth of hair and make-up before they even got to the dress. If she'd known her audience a little better, she’d know the working-class farmers of Yavin nor the military were much impressed.

Still, she managed an introduction that at least sounded heartfelt, and was complementary to the Resistance and Leia's foresight and readiness without making the Republic look like idiots at best or neglectful at worst. That was the compromise: they only _just_ now had undeniable evidence of First Order violence.

(Poe had seen that video by now, the one the First Order had sent out with him in it, and all he managed to say about it was “I'm lucky you're still marrying me.”

When Rey and Finn had started to protest that he only looked terrible because she was half-dead, Poe had laughed: “No, I mean, it's nice of you to give me a second chance after finding out I'd been a terrorist all this time.”)

So Poe wasn’t much listening to Holdo until the Awards came. Many of the Awards were simply announced, as it would take too long to pin badges to everyone's chests: everyone was getting commendations, and that was a lot of commendations. The names of the dead were read, and saluted with cannon fire outside and native whisper birds released inside.

Those on the podium with them were given special awards: Major Kalonia accepted the Combat Medical badge, along with the rest of her medical staff; Rey, Luke, Chewie, and Lando received civilian honors; Poe, Leia, and Statura stood up together to receive Wound Stripes for their uniforms, which they were accepting on behalf of all those killed and wounded in the Battle of Dantooine. Poe managed to hold it together, even though he was being awarded _alongside Leia Organa._

Last of all was Finn, the only one to receive the highest military honor in the Medal of Valor. Deso leaned in as he pinned it to his jacket:

"This is a long time coming. Thank you for your service, Major Finn."

"The Major has agreed to say a few words today, from his...unique perspective."

Rey and Poe glanced at each other: they got the impression Holdo was worried about what he might say, and they wondered how hard Leia had fought to get him the air time. The galaxy needed to know the threat the First Order posed, and their honored dead needed to be remembered, but the galaxy needed hope, too. Poe reached across the space left between them and took Rey's hand.

(Later he would learn that Javos got a picture of that, with Finn in the middle of his speech with a halo of light around him.)

Finn stood and went to the podium and gave himself a moment to just look at the assembled crowd and the starships beyond them. It was a lot of people. In true stormtrooper fashion, however, the large assembly was a comfort rather than a cause for nervousness. Then he cleared his throat and smiled a little self-consciously.

"I think all of you know what Senator Holdo means by 'unique perspective,’ but if you don't, it's as good a place to start as any."

There were some grins among the Resistance troops at this.

"When I was very small—a few months old, we think, but we don't really know for sure—the First Order attacked my home. They kidnapped me and, probably, the infants and very young children of other families. They murdered our parents, or else left them to attempt survival in ruins."

There were some shocked gaps at this, and Finn wondered if the Republic people had even considered where the stormtroopers in the First Order were coming from.

"They trained me—us—to be war machines. Nothing more, nothing less. We were something between equipment, like the droids, and humans, like our superiors. In practice we were whatever suited them at the time." He paused to let that sink in, and it only bothered him that in addition to upsetting the Republic, he was upsetting the ex-stormtroopers. He offered them a small, sympathetic smile.

"I didn't know what it was like to be touched by hands that wanted to ease pain rather than fix a machine," he admitted quietly, remembering those first few weeks in medical, the pretending not to feel pain and the fear that they would decide he wasn't worth the trouble and reclamate him. "I know it's not the story you wanted to hear, and I'm sorry. But you need to know—all of you need to know—why we're fighting this war, and why we have to fight it the way we do."

Enough of the sad story, in other words. He'd made them uncomfortable enough...

"The First Order doesn't, and never has, cared about the well-being of any individual. They don't care about _their own_ individuals, as long as they keep the war machine running. The war machine to return the Galactic Empire. And at it's simplest level, that's why they're going to lose. You can brainwash people all you want, threaten them, scare them, bribe them, but some of them are bound to grow wise to what you're doing."

He noticed some movement in the Resistance ranks: soldiers and pilots elbowing their trooper buddies, knowing where this was going.

"And they're going to defect, and worse news for you, they're going to go _join the other side_ ." There was some minor cheering, and he grinned. "But you—us, we, the combined Republic and Resistance—you have to _let_ them. You have to help them, because there is nothing more terrifying than acting in opposition to the system you've always known, that demands nothing less than your absolute loyalty. You have to help the people who want to leave all that, the people like me, and like them."

He said this at volume, talking over the muffled murmur of assent rising from the Resistance ranks. He waited until they had quieted down.

"And I have just one last thing to say, mostly to you all." He nodded to the fighters—all of them, soldier and pilot, Republic and Resistance. "It's not good enough to fight for some abstract ideal of what things should be like when your side is in charge. That's a good way to turn _into_ the First Order.. We're one force, now, and we're going to have to fight for each other. That's really the only way we make it out the other side of this, so if you have problems with your new fellows. It's time to get over it. We do this together, or not at all. We have a real chance, now. Don't waste it."

And that should take care of those few who were hesitant on both sides about their new partners.

"That's, um, all I have," he finished, but that was ridiculous. Something else was needed.

"Let's give the First Order something to worry about, huh?" he asked, because of course this was being broadcast. The entire space broke into a roar that he honestly hadn't quite expected, and somewhere within the Resistance ranks, some wise-ass (Deeks. It was Deeks, Finn was absolutely certain) started chanting "Eight-Seven, Eight-Seven," and shortly, everyone else got in on the act. Finn ducked his head in mild embarrassment, took a half bow of thanks, and retreated to Poe and Rey, blood rushing in his ears.

Adrenaline was one hell of a drug, right up until it wasn't...and if he didn't sit down for a minute, he was going to lose his balance and fall over right there on stage.

Poe and Rey were grinning, chanting the "Eight-Seven" along with the rest of the Resistance—that was a message for the First Order, for all the stormtroopers who didn't want to fight, in the off-chance this broadcast ever got out to them.

After several moments, Holdo got the crowd under control, and Rey and Poe welcomed Finn back into their arms, hugging and kissing him.

"That was beautiful, Finn," Rey said. "Just what they needed to hear. All of them."

"Sweetheart, I am so turned on right now," Poe added, which made Rey giggle and wag her finger at them. Oh, she was going to have _fun_ with this moon-purity thing.

Now Holdo had given the floor to Admiral Deso. A huge number of people were getting promotions, which was the last part of the ceremony, and these were just read out rather than bringing up everyone individually. Aides were prepared to pin them following the ceremony.

Poe was so busy snickering at Finn's weary and even horrified face at his promotion that he nearly missed the fact that _he_ had been promoted to _Rear Admiral_. Which was crazy. He couldn't be an Admiral! They promised they'd let him back into a starfighter...

And then everyone was applauding and the guests were being ushered back out to a formal dinner.

Finn and Poe had stayed behind to receive their rank pins, and Rey head waited for them, so they were among the last to leave. Dinner was in another Temple entirely, they discovered, this one decorated with hundreds of small flickering lanterns over the many, many tables. Seating was not assigned here, and Finn was glad to see, upon arriving, that the Republic and Resistance troops already appeared to be making efforts at getting acquainted.

They found seats at a table with Luke, Leia, Chewie, Snap, Jess, Sevens, and Karé. Jess had Sam, somehow, and he was very happy to be passed from lap to lap as they ate, grabbing helpfully at anything within reach.

Presently, conversation died down to a pleasant hum with occasional loud laughter, and they all sat back from their plates.

"So do the promotions mean we're not on vacation anymore?" Finn asked eventually, but it didn't hold the same hopeful tone it had previously. Rey chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Speak for yourself, love— _I_ didn't gain any extra duties today," she told him. He frowned at her and she leaned over to kiss him.

"About that," Luke said, and Rey eyed him warily. He looked far too sly for her comfort, and then Leia grinned, too. Rey looked between them and raised her eyebrows.

"What? About what?" Rey asked, while Leia talked over her:

"I still don't want any of you on duty until you get back from your honeymoon." She pointed at Finn: "You're allowed on Base for paperwork and SRP work only. And you," she pointed at Poe: "only for PT and visits to Dr. Kalonia."

Poe clutched at his heart, fake-wounded. "Ah, I'm kidding. I'm just glad the Rear Admiral appointment wasn't a punishment."

The pilots and Finn snorted audibly.

"So... what does a Rear Admiral _do_ , exactly?" Jess asked, her face perfectly straight.

"Maybe they lead the attack," Snap suggested.

"Like from the rear? A...'rear attack', if you will?" Karé asked, and Finn couldn't hold it in anymore. He dissolved into giggles, spluttering something like "Rear attack admiral" before he was laughing too hard to even bother speaking.

Poe's face was a line. "Oh, yeah, real mature, guys. It's a _real rank_! Two Admirals report to one Admiral..." But they were too busy laughing. "I didn't hear any snickering at Statura!"

"That's because Finn's not interested in _that_ Admiral's rear," Snap choked.

"Poe's always been something of a Rear Admiral," Karé exploded.

Finn was giggling helplessly now, and every time he tried to get himself under control, it only made it worse. Rey looked over at him in mild, amused concern. Then she looked over at Karé. "A Rear Admiral with an admirable rear!" she replied.

Finn laughed so hard he nearly toppled off his chair—only the fact that he was leaning heavily on Poe's chair prevented him from doing so.

"Rear Admiral? Try Backdoor Admiral," Snap guffawed.

"That's gross you guys," Poe protested, elbowing Finn. "I'm not marrying you anymore."

Finn turned to Poe, giving him a very pathetic look. "But I love you," he said reasonably, and rested his chin on Poe's shoulder. "The most—!"

"Excuse you?"

"—of everything except Rey because I love her the most, too." He turned to look at Rey and beamed.

"I know where you sleep, and who you sleep with, and a number of other things," she warned him, but she was grinning, so it lost some of its effect. "Someone has to keep you and the Backdoor Admiral in line."

"You can keep us in line any time," Finn responded.

"I say this with the utmost affection, but TMI, you three. Think of the children!" Jess said. Sammy was currently sitting in her lap and banging his pincer hand on the table.

"Isn't there some purity thing here anyway? I'm sure Kes mentioned it. As best man, I feel it's my duty to remind you to behave yourself, Poe Dameron, Admirable Rear Admiral or not."

Snap's response set off a whole new round of giggle-fits.

This time, Poe laughed, too. "Okay, that one's a little funny. Only because I do have a fantastic ass."


	15. Chapter 15

Poe still planned on having stern words with Leia and Deso about whether he was ever getting into an X-wing again or not—but he planned to have them after he physically could fly an X-wing.

So until then, he was on base every day for PT and basic training. Poe was glad enough not to fight them on his re-certification: it kept him honest, and little victories on the starship aptitude and operation written and sim portions made him feel good when his push-ups or runs were behind what they should be. 

The rest of his days were spent with wedding preparation, which he could weasel out of a lot less now that he was mobile.

Likewise, Finn had found his clearance reinstated, though only to an extent—Leia had been almost annoyingly diligent in figuring out what he needed to do paperwork and work with the stormtroopers while not being able to anything more involved or exciting.

And Luke, while he'd resumed training Rey, was much more lax about it than he had been, causing her to go slower and develop some patience.

It left them equality available to help with wedding plans. Finn had thought they'd just reuse the old ones, but clearly this was not the case. While the general parts of it were the same, there were details that had to be amended or updated, the whole menu had changed (at Kes' insistence because he was sure that having the same menu he'd sent to the scattered and demoralized troops of the Resistance was bad luck), and even the flowers had to be changed to something in-season.

And of course, there was the detail of painting BB-8 to their satisfaction, and adjusting the fit of all of their clothes just slightly. It was exhausting, and they couldn't even do anything very exciting to address their exhaustion (though Rey had quietly been coming up with ideas that skirted the whole purity issue). Generally, they were reduced to very serious cuddling.

...

Poe was running, and he hated running, especially when he was covered in electrodes and reduced to a kind of old man shuffle. But at least it was something, and it was something he could do outside of medical, as he was skirting the outer buildings trying to build up his endurance without killing himself. 

[You're not supposed to go this fast yet!] BB-8 called. 

"Oh come on, Bee," Poe complained, though he was breathing with difficulty. "I've gotta get my speed back up. You can't keep up?"

[I'm going to roll over you if you collapse.]

"Then I won't paint you pretty tonight," Poe huffed. "I can be pettier than you can, buddy."

Finn caught up with Poe as he made his way around the base with BB-8 at his heels. He wasn't sure Poe was even supposed to be running, but he was sure he couldn't stop him. He could, however, run with him, and did so, jogging up next to him and reaching out to tap his shoulder. 

"Everything going alright?" he asked. BB-8 made a rude honking sound.

"They’re mad at me," Poe explained. He didn't slow down, glad for the company and for someone to run against. "Run with me? I'm trying to beat my five klik speed from yesterday." 

[He's going to kill himself] BB-8 admonished. 

"Except I'm not. I'm cleared for light PT, and this is light. I have medical sticky things on me telling me so," Poe grumbled. "And I have big plans for tonight...Meaning I'm going to eat a big dinner." 

[That's good, because Friend-Rey is cooking] BB-8 tooted, and, since Finn was watching Poe, decided they could go do more important things.

"Your dad is helping, because Rey wants to learn how to cook," Finn added to the departing droid's explanation. He matched his pace to Poe's for a little while before speaking. 

"Did you see the doctor yet today? I assume someone gave you medical sticky things," he said, adding air quotes to "medical sticky things" when he said it. He liked the trackers, not least because Poe couldn't lie to them and tell them he was fine when he wasn't. They would just faithfully record all of his vitals—in addition to BB-8’s diagnostics—and warn him if the exercise he was doing became too strenuous—if he'd listen. And if he wouldn't, they'd warn BB-8 and Dr. K, just in case he wasn't pushing too far on purpose and had done something to himself.

Finn never had denied his paranoia, and he didn't intend to start now.

"You know, if it's speed you want, we shouldn't be running this far..." he said, for this pace was really more of an endurance run than a sprint.

"What? No running and falling down when we're exhausted in the middle of the jungle for some making out and heavy petting?" Poe laughed. "I better rethink this running strategy."

They continued along in silence for a time. "This  _ is _ speed for me right now, okay? I'm working on it."

"We could do some making out and heavy petting  _ without  _ falling down in the middle of the jungle," Finn suggested. "You're doing quite a bit better than you were, you know. You'll get there." 

And then they could do as much racing and falling down and heavy petting as they wanted.

It would be glorious. But for now, Poe was still growing strong, building atrophied muscles every day, driving Finn crazy by showing up sweaty and exhausted, his shirt sticking to his body, to use the refresher. Finn was pretty sure he was doing it on purpose, and not just because the third or fourth time it'd happened Rey had cackled from where she sat on the floor playing blocks with Sam.

"I know," Poe said. He was mostly optimistic, now that he could  _ move _ , but it was even nicer to hear that from someone else. Finn was kind, but he wasn't a liar. "I just want to get up the hill and then we can sit and make out." 

Finn laughed and eyed the hill. "Ah, you can do that easy," he told Poe, although  _ easy  _ probably wasn't the right word. It wasn't a tiny hill... "Your legs are going to hurt tomorrow, though." 

Poe's eyes twinkled as he glanced sidelong at Finn. Perfect Finn and his perfect muscles, leaner than they used to be; his face was thinner, too. Colonel Finn, his betrothed. "You know, we  _ will  _ be all alone up there..."

"I like the idea of making out with you and watching the world go by. It's been a long time since we did that." He couldn't even remember the last time, but it had been well before the Dantooine mess. Months, it'd been. Months and months...and they could see the Force Tree from up there, which was always a relaxing sight to Finn.

"It was definitely a few pay grades ago," Poe laughed, and was silent the rest of the way up. He had talked to Leia and Statura about the did-you-promote-me-out-of-an-X-wing issue, and they assured him they only promoted him because they needed him on the political side of the military now that they were joining the Republic again—which wasn't exactly comforting, either—but the opportunity to command a 400-strong starfighter fleet made it worth it. He had to pick up his paperwork again, though. Which wasn't worth it. 

The promise of seeing the  _ sky  _ again kept Poe going, and he might have run up the entire mountain instead of this one hill just to lay down and make out with Finn, so though his muscles and lungs were screaming, and he wasn't going very fast by the end, Poe made it up. 

"Oh gods," he said, and collapsed, rolling onto his back and panting.

Finn dropped to his knees next to Poe to catch his breath, laughing. Then he sat to the side and leaned over Poe, balancing with a hand on his other side. He was still grinning when he kissed him, though it was a quick peck to account for Poe still needing to breathe. 

"Am I gonna have to carry you down?" Finn asked in amusement.

"Only if you fuck me like I want you to." Poe hauled Finn into a deeper kiss, breathing be damned, though he still gasped in between, and his limbs were too shaky to let him sit up just yet. "Oh, gods, I miss you. I just want to be married and living on our tropical honeymoon island already."

"I'm not allowed to fuck you yet. But as soon as we're married..." Finn said. He learned in to kiss Poe's neck, nosing his shirt aside to reach his collarbones. He sucked a mark here, on the unblemished skin, and sighned a little wistfully. 

"Ohh, gods, Finn," Poe whimpered, arching his hips up against Finn and squeezing both his biceps. "Fine, if you want to be a tool of the patriarchy...

"Want to get your tattoos redone?" Finn asked hopefully. It wasn't that he didn't love Poe's skin, or that he thought he  _ needed _ tattoos...but they were so handsome on him, and Finn had never known Poe without them. Finn liked kissing them, and following them all over Poe's body.

"Do I ever!" Poe cried, eyes uncrossing slightly. "They're horrible now. I'll need a few  _ days _ with Rokko." 

Or maybe he was so numbed to pain now she could do it all in one go. There were so many more names...

That was a sobering thought. "I want Iolo to be the last one. The last name I have to mark on my back. I'm sick of losing people."

Poe flung his arms around Finn's neck and hugged him. "Yes, I want to get them all redone. Need to add yours and Rey's names, too, on my hand. Hey, I could get a full sleeve now, just turn off the pain sensors and let Rokko go to town on the synth skin."

Finn wrapped his arms around Poe's chest to pull him close and closed his eyes, just letting the embrace sink into his bones. "We're almost there," he said, and then a thought occurred to him. "Hey, if he wants to go, we should take Little Rokko to meet his namesake." 

The boy seemed to be doing well with the Ewoks, as they all were, and Finn received regular updates from Wicket telling him all about their youngest ex-stormtroopers, but he hadn't been able to go back and see them, and it made him feel a little guilty.

"Oh, man, we totally should," Poe agreed with a laugh, scratching Finn's back as he lay over the top of him. "May still have to go in secret, dunno if the Republic knows about them yet."

Poe stretched and sighed, kissing Finn's neck, even though it was all sweaty. 

"I still say after all this is over we could adopt them." Then he laughed, sheepishly. "The man says as he's away from home neglecting his own kid. Come on, let's head back down."

Finn rolled off of Poe and stood before pulling him up to his feet. "I'm not sure we can adopt all of them...or that the Ewoks will let us," he said. And that was good—the Ewoks would fight to keep the children even if the Republic did find out about them. It was a far more stable life than they could otherwise have been offered. 

"It's been really nice, having everyone in the same place, and not having to run around dealing with the next catastrophe," he said thoughtfully as they made their slow way back down to Base. "Don't tell Leia. She'll be insufferable about having told me I'd learn to like vacation."

Poe laughed. "Oh, I won't. She'll be devastated to see you quit the military to be a  _ farmer _ . Everyone will be." 

But Poe slung an arm around Finn's shoulder. "Except me, buddy. Farmer Finn is really sexy. Even with chicken poop on his shirt." 

When Finn looked down, Poe flicked his nose gently. "Made you look."

"I'm not  _ quitting _ ," Finn said with a slight frown as he rubbed his nose. But Poe knew that, of course, and so did Leia. "I can't  _ help _ it, either. It's a good place." 

He liked most everything about the farm, even the hard, hot work of weeding the garden or cleaning the chicken coop.

Okay, well, maybe  _ liked _ was going a bit far, where some of the work was concerned, but it was worth it. And nobody shot at you on a farm.

"Anyway, we have a war to win first, and a wedding to have, not in that order. The rest of the war will be easy compared to planning the wedding!" he laughed.

"We could still elope, buddy, you just say the word," Poe laughed, as they entered the medical center. "I'm sure any medical professional would confirm Rey's not pregnant."

"I never get involved in religious disputes," Dr. Kalonia said, pulling the sticky electrodes off of Poe. "Better again today, Commander. Good work. Get some rest tonight, since you're not allowed to do anything else."

She winked, and Poe glared.

"Does the whole  _ base _ know?" Finn asked in a voice of mild distress.

"Well, if you wouldn’t complain about it so vocally..." Dr. Kalonia responded, and Finn could have sworn the woman was enjoying teasing both of them. She grinned wickedly and he was sure of it—but then she was back to being all business, putting away the electrodes and filling something out in her file. "Okay. Sall will be by tomorrow, since you've no doubt strained something and just don't know it yet. I'm very glad you're feeling better, but you must be careful not to overdo it. Today was close to overdoing it, if you were wondering." She leveled a stern look at both of them. "Now go on."

"That's bull," Poe protested, but let himself be dragged off by Finn, and told him on the walk back to their home, "I did not overdo it. Overdoing it is what I  _ want _ to do. I'm holding back."

"Then hold back more. I love you, but you're about as good at identifying when you're overdoing it as I am," Finn said dryly. He swung their clasped hands and then laughed, imagining the response of anyone having seen it. 

Poe scrubbed his fingernails over his face. "I think I need to shave."

"You need to shave, I need a haircut, Sammy and BB-8 both need baths. We're turning into ruffians," he said. They also needed to paint BB-8 before the wedding. The droid had already reminded Finn three times today, and probably Rey and Poe a number of times as well. They were taking their job as ringbearer very seriously.

"Let's go home and get everyone cleaned up, then," Poe said. After some more walking, they broke through the clearing of jungle and were suddenly in the Dameron groves.

Rey had seen—or felt—them coming, and went out to meet them, with Sam in her arms. The waving branches wafted aside in the evening breeze, and Rey's hair and dress were loose and flowing. 

"Hello, loves," Rey said. "BB-8 beat you home." 

Sam screeched and flapped his arms and legs vigorously in greeting. 

Finn swept her up into a kiss, his gentle arms going around her waist and their son, and Poe watched them with a smile before reaching up to pick a barely-ripe fruit. It was an idyllic moment, and he felt somehow like he was meant to be here more than he had ever felt like he belonged, anywhere. 

Beginning to peel the fruit, Poe joined them, kissing Rey and Sam before feeding them segments. 

"Is it sour? I wanted you to try it first," he said wryly.

Rey made a face, but Sam was already happily eating his own segment of fruit, causing the juice to trickle down his chin. 

"It's good. Maybe a little sour, but in a good way," she told him, reaching over to steal another segment and hand it to Finn. 

"You're sweaty. Luckily for you, Sam and I were about to make tea, so you can help!" Rey told them, though she didn't seem especially concerned about the sweat, the way she was happily slotting herself against Finn's side.

"You should have seen us earlier after we ran," he informed her, and she made a face.

"You went running? Without  _ me _ ?" she asked, pouting just a little as she glanced between Poe and Finn.

"You can go next time, and I'll babysit," Finn said. Sam was still flailing happily in Rey's arms.

"You can't babysit your own kid," Rey said, "When it's your kid they call it 'parenting'. Speaking of: take your son, he's more than an armful when he's squirming." She deposited Sam in Finn's arms and slid her arm around Poe's waist.

"You  _ hate _ running," Poe said, as he and Rey hooked around Finn to walk back to the house. 

"Well, yeah, but I could have Force-hovered, or ridden one of the horses or the speeder behind you." 

Poe chuckled. "Yeah. Coach Rey. Keeping track of my speed and time. No way I would overdo it if we did that. Hey, where's dad? What's for dinner?" 

"Oh, he's  _ out _ for the evening," Rey giggled. "And he left me in charge."

"And the kitchen is still standing?" Finn asked.

"You're hilarious," Rey replied. Finn just grinned at her, unrepentant. "Yes, it's still there. I followed his directions carefully! There are enchiladas in the oven, but if you're going to be rude..."

"Nope sorry I'll be good I promise. Did you say enchiladas?" Finn asked. Rey smiled sheepishly.

"I made them..." She looked over at Poe. "But your dad was supervising most of it. They should still be edible."

"Do we have time to fresher?" Poe asked, "And maybe fuck?" 

"Poe! Stop swearing in front of Sam," Rey laughed. "He's going to learn these words. And no sex just because your dad is gone for the evening." 

Poe laughed. "Nothing gets past you  _ wait  _ Dad said he'd be gone all night? What's he doing? Has he got a  _ date _ ?" 

"Wow, this family cares way too much about the sex lives of everyone else in it," Finn muttered, and shook himself. 

"No, I don't know where he is. You can ask him if you want to be weird," Rey said. "Go get in the fresher. Separately. Then we'll eat and paint BB-8. They've been very patient." 

"BB-8's been whining  _ daily _ ," Poe protested. "That's not patient. Here, I'll hold the kid, you go shower first," he offered Finn.

"Ba!" Sam said as he was handed to Poe, immediately reaching for his face and patting his cheeks. Finn shook his head finally at both of them and went to the fresher.

Since there was no one sharing the fresher with him, Finn finished quickly and went back to the living room. He dropped his slightly damp towel on Poe's head as he walked past him, to Sam's amusement. 

"Your turn," he laughed as Sam batted at the towel.

"Put a shirt on, you're going to give Poe a heart attack," Rey told him. He was wearing only shorts, and he grinned cheekily at her, which probably meant he was doing it on purpose. She rolled her eyes at him as he settled in front of her chair, where she was currently lounging, her back against one arm and legs draped over the other.

"I have already seen him sweaty and working out, if I was going to have a heart-attack-inducing boner it would have happened already," Poe said, pulling the towel off his face and wrapping Sam up in it until he screamed. 

"Those are nice shorts, though. Thighs aren't too bad, either," he teased, kissing Finn and Rey as he transferred the baby to their care to go take his own shower. 

He was tired, though, and ended up in a hot bath to relax his muscles, and might have been about to fall asleep if Rey hadn't banged on the door. "Do I need to come in there after you or eat without you?"

"Um. Hm?" Poe said, feeling suddenly rather woozy. Maybe he had overdone it a bit today. Also might have been the heavy duty painkillers he had just popped.

"Do we need to send rescue?" Finn called, and when he received no clear answer climbed to his feet and joined Rey at the door. 

Sam babbled softly at her and she tickled him gently, making him cackle. 

"Ruthless tickle attack!" Finn laughed as Sam screeched happily. "Come on, Poe, time to get out of the bath. You still have to eat before we sleep," he said through the door.

"I'm sick of being told what to do," Poe complained, sinking further into the bath. 

"Drunk-toddler-Poe again," Rey frowned, looking at Finn, who laughed. 

"Now who's giving the kid bad ideas?" Poe asked as they barged in, sitting up in the bath and letting Rey help him up. He was stiff and sore and a little loopy. He chuckled, "Shouldn't have taken two of the big ones. I'm okay."

"How likely are you to just fall asleep in your enchiladas?" Finn asked.

"I'm not," Poe insisted. "Just don't let me have a beer tonight."

Rey laughed softly and draped a towel over Poe's shoulders, gathering the edges in the front and then stepping close to wrap her arms around him.

"Mmmm, you're warm," she said, and she nuzzled his shoulder. Since Finn didn't want to unbalance them, and since he still held Sam, he stood and watched and smiled fondly at them.

But eventually his stomach growled.

"Okay, cuddling later, food now," he said, and Rey stepped away from Poe with a small sigh.

Poe wrapped his arms around both of them to follow them into the kitchen, marveling as Rey took it out of the oven. 

"Oh, sweetheart, this smells actually amazing. Who wants beer?" He reached into the cooler for drinks. 

"Not you," Rey giggled. "And not me. Finn?"

"Not me. I'll have water. Or milk," Finn answered, giving Rey a deeply suspicious look.

"Oh stop, I didn't make it that spicy," Rey said, and when he frowned, "I mean it this time. I swear on...on my saber." This was good enough for Finn, apparently, and he filled three glasses of water and a baby cup—it tipped but never spilled!—of juice, which he handed to Sam before settling him in his high chair.

"You're getting really good at this cooking thing," Finn said. He was hovering over the pan and sniffing it with a blissful expression on his face.

"Yeah, and then I'm going to teach you, and then we'll all cook for each other. You're in the way, love," she told him, and he went to join Poe at the table. Rey followed and set the pan down where they all could reach it. She looked over at Poe.

"Will you taste it first?" she asked a little shyly.

Poe, laughably, was already tucking in, and he looked up with full cheeks. He swallowed with difficulty. "I mean, it's hot, but not too bad. I don't think it's hot." 

But he laughed, the food making him more alert. 

Rey tried it, while Finn was mixing mash for Sam to eat. "Woo, that is hot! I'm never trusting a Dameron ever again! It's good, but you might make yourself a bean burrito, Finn."

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," Poe protested.

"But I like enchiladas..." Finn said, and he was so forlorn that Rey laughed. 

"Alright, but don't whine at me later when you have heartburn or something," she told him. He wrinkled up his nose.

"Only old people get heartburn," he told her, but he also went to the cooler for milk. He returned to the table and bravely tasted a bite of enchilada. Then he reached for the milk and took a gulp, to everyone's amusement. 

"It's actually really good, even though I think it just burned off my face," he said.

"That’s it, champ," Poe praised, already halfway through his own meal. "You'll get used to it, I promise."

"You also don't have to eat it," Rey said.

Poe spooned some beans, 'with only a little chili,' onto Sam's plate for him to try.

The baby munched them quite happily, as though there was no spice on them whatsoever.

Finn watched their child with a bemused half-smile before taking another bite. "But I want to eat what you cook, and both of you are bad at cooking food that isn't spicy." 

This time he lasted for several seconds after he swallowed before he had to reach for the milk and take a sip. "Milk is good for you anyway, right? So really, it's a win win." 

“You see what a lifetime of protein rations does to a person?” Poe mused. 

If Sam, with his limited baby palate, could eat spicy food, so could Finn. Eventually. Maybe not all at once, though, he thought as he switched to the rice and beans. They were mercifully bland compared to the enchiladas, but still good. And he could eat them without drinking a gallon of milk.

Poe and Rey laughed and slid in close, bracketing Finn between them, to tease him after he was the only one left eating. The teasing soon turned into kissing, and Poe squeezed Finn's thigh as he asked, "Whaddya say we put the kid to bed and sin a little?" 

Rey grinned. "We're not  _ supposed _ to! You'll ruin the wedding." 

Poe rolled his eyes. 

"Are you worried we'll find out Finn's pregnant? Now you see why I wanted to elope," he added, biting Finn's ear.

"Thank the Force  _ that's _ not possible. I'm not sure we need  _ that _ many kids," Rey laughed as she snuggled up to Finn's side and took his arm to scratch it gently. He gave her a dopy smile and blinked slowly, instantly content.

Sam screeched.

"Okay, kid, time for beddy-bye. Ready to sleep? Of course you are, you just ate," Finn said. He freed the baby from his highchair. "How are you so heavy? Have you grown since the beginning of the week?" He looked over to Poe and Rey. "I swear he's grown!"

"Probably got a full diaper, give him here," Poe said, levering himself to his feet, and laughing as he collected the baby. "Haha, see, he's pooped double his own weight. This one's hazardous!" 

Still laughing, Poe took Sam into what had become the baby room to change him and get him ready for bed while Rey and Finn did the dishes. Sam was wiggly and greatly opposed to being changed and dressed, but "I know, I know, you just hate this because it means it's bed time, don't you? I need you with me on this one, buddy. Papa's gonna get lucky tonight, I can tell."

"Don't tell him that!" Rey cried from the other room, but when Poe returned, there was a Rey-shaped wet hand print on Finn's ass, so clearly he wasn’t the only one getting frisky.


	16. Chapter 16

"Stop scarring him for life," Finn teased as Poe returned, turning and leaning back against the counter to look at Poe and Sam. "Look at you, buddy, you ready for sleep?" he asked.

Sam, warm and full of food and in a soft, fuzzy onesie, demonstrated that he was _not_ ready for sleep by fussing and flailing his arms.

"Oh no, angry baby mode!" Rey exclaimed, and she took Sam and dancing and twirling with him across the kitchen. "Okay Sam, here's the deal. You go to sleep, and I make you waffles in the morning.”

He was still fussy, in that determined way of babies everywhere to stay awake when they were tired. "I know, I know, but we both know you're tired anyway, sweetheart."

She kissed his forehead as the fussing slowly trailed off into exhaustion.

"Could sing him a lullaby," Finn suggested, "I have it on excellent authority that he falls asleep in record time if his Papa sings to him."

"I think he likes it when we all sing," Poe pointed out, following a waltzing Rey to the baby's room. He was now alert again, if a little stiff, but he was happy.

Seemingly out of nowhere (so maybe Poe wasn’t as alert as he thought he was), Finn produced his quetarra.

"Oh, I see, the kid gets a full concert performance before he goes to sleep? That won't spoil him at all,” Poe said, but he was compelled to take the instrument.

"You're playing for us, too," Rey pointed out, teasing: "You know how it gets me in the mood."

Poe laughed and stemmed a few chords.

Sam surprised everyone by immediately stopping crying and waiting for more.

"I may have had ulterior motives," Finn admitted softly.

He took a seat on the floor where he could lean against Poe's knees, careful not to jostle him while he strummed a few quiet chords. Rey smiled at the pair of them and swayed softly, Sam still in her arms. Unable to both fuss and listen to the music, Sam sighed and leaned against her chest—but his eyes were wide open because, he need hardly remind them, he Was Not Tired.

"Incorrigible," Poe laughed. "Worse than the baby."

Poe and Rey began singing, and they made Finn sing with them, too, until Sam's eyelids drooped and he finally went to sleep.

"Man," Poe said, after Rey had put him down in his crib (his _own_ crib, a sweet thing carved of light wood and painted in all colors by Kes himself), and they were watching him sleep. "Does having a perfect family make anyone else horny?"

Finn laughed, but Rey thwacked him in the chest.

Finn took one of Rey's hands and one of Poe's and led them from Sam's room. When Rey had pushed the door to, he pulled each of them closer and kissed them.

"Someday he's going to be able to understand you and talk back, you know. What're you doing to do then?" he asked Poe.

“First of all, he’s your clone, so he’s going to be a perfect child,” Poe pointed out. “Not that he needs to know what his parents do to each other…”

Rey sighed pointedly, causing both men to look at her.

"You're talking about sex. _Again_. We could talk about anything in the galaxy, but we're talking about sex," she said.

Finn laughed and kissed her again.

"Okay, fair enough. We could talk about starships, right? You guys like those. Big ones, fast ones. Those ones with the smooth hulls that just seem to slide...in and out...of..."

Poe cackled while Finn grinned innocently at Rey.

She hit him.

"Finn, honey," Poe said, kissing Finn and pushing him down onto the bed, "I didn't know you cared about starships. About how careful you have to be to _lube_ up everything so it works nice and smooth..."

Rey was pulling a face, but the grinning kind, so Poe and Finn pulled her into the tangle.

"And how you have to _love_ your baby or she won't fly right for you," Poe concluded, pressing a kiss to the hollow of Rey's throat while he ran his fingernails down Finn's arm. "Got to give her just the right touch..."

Finn hummed and leaned up to nuzzle and kiss along Poe's jaw, mixing in a few gentle nips. Rey rolled to her side to watch both of them and scratched along Finn's ribs just to see what he would do. When he purred, she laughed delightedly and lay back down, squirming close to his side and reaching up to play with Poe's hair.

"You wicked tease. I thought you'd want to make sure we were being good?" Poe said with a grin, after making an embarrassing noise at her hand in his hair.

"Well you know how I feel about rules," she explained. "And anyway, the only way to stop you would be to tie you up, and I'm not sure that wouldn't make everything worse."

Poe laughed, running his fingernails up under Finn's shirt and letting Rey guide him into a kiss by his hair. "I mean you're in luck tonight, I might just fall asleep mid-blowjob."

"Oh, you mean like that last time you started something you couldn't finish?" Finn teased.

“That was one time!” Poe laughed.

"If you're tired, I'm sure we could figure _something_ out," Finn laughed.

Poe shivered and shook his head, grinning. "Yeah, I guess we figured out I'm _either_ good for foreplay _or_ something quick and dirty tonight."

"You know, there's something about the rule of waiting to make sure I'm not pregnant that makes me want to have a baby," Rey pointed out, but it was clearly the wrong moment to bring this up in, because Poe and Finn both laughed, assuming her to be joking.

"Our wildcard girl, here. Loves breaking the rules," Poe said, sandwiching Rey between Finn and himself.

Rey scrunched around until she was comfortably settled between Finn and Poe, her cheek on Finn's chest and head turned so she could see Poe on her other side. She shifted once more to get comfortable and Finn poked her shoulder.

"Are you done elbowing me in the side?" he asked her, because she had one of her arms underneath her.

"Maybe, maybe not," she replied, and poked him again. "And as for your accusations, Poe Dameron, I have no idea what you're talking about. I love following rules," she said, and when Finn nearly choked on a disbelieving cackle, added, "As long as I'm the one making them."

Poe barked a laugh and gave her ass a gentle thump. "Yeah, she does enjoy giving orders."

"And we enjoy following them," Finn added.

"Hey, military men are very good at following orders,” Poe preened.

"I'm gonna have to break you two in again after your promotions," Rey giggled. "And Finn isn't a soldier by choice, remember."

"Are you kinkshaming me?" Poe asked. "Or making fun of Finn for taking a few short months to turn into a farmer? It's already weird that you're turning into my dad, Finn. I don’t know if we can continue to have sex."

Finn felt his cheeks growing hot and buried his face against Rey's collarbone.

"I like farming," he said, voice muffled. "It feels right."

It felt like it balanced, in some small way, the necessary destruction involved when fighting the First Order.

"Oh, Finn," Rey said, and she gave him a fond smile, "I can't make fun of you for that, it's too sweet."

She tipped his chin up and kissed his nose. "Guess that leaves kinkshaming Poe," she laughed.

"Aha, but I have a _shame_ kink, too, so there's no winning," Poe laughed. "So can I suck his cock or no?"

They hadn't moved beyond handjobs since Poe had healed, actually, and he was salivating for it.

"Hm, I'm not sure that's allowed..." Rey said.

"Fine, we wait til she falls asleep," Poe told Finn quite earnestly.

"But if you're going to break rules it had better be supervised," Rey added.

"Right. Don't want anyone getting pregnant," Poe giggled, and slid rather stiffly down their biddies, kissing Rey as he went before moving over to Finn.

Finn shivered, his skin prickling wherever Poe kissed him. It wasn't that they'd been perfect angels—he was pretty sure handjobs broke the rules—but it had been literal _months_ since they'd done anything like this. It was more that between the physical and the mental intimacy, he'd literally forgotten what this was like, shoving it so far away and so far down to the far recesses of his mind that remembering was its own strange pleasure.

And Rey...she certainly seemed to have missed the feel of their consciouses tangling all together, because he could already feel her tentatively reaching out, for him first, and then even more gently for Poe. She was being so careful, and sweet, and almost shy about it, and somehow that was even more intoxicating.

"Wow, love, you haven't even done anything to him and I think he's already forgotten how to speak words," Rey said to Poe.

She kissed Finn until he'd come back a little to himself. "Hmmm, hello handsome," she said to him, smiling, when he blinked owlishly at her.

"Hi," he answered, and shifted a little restlessly, but Rey had him pinned so Poe could take his time.

Finn growled in frustration at both of them. "Poe, _please_ ," he asked, just this side of begging.

"Imagine how he's gonna be on our wedding night. What do you want me to do to you then, love?" Poe asked, sliding Finn's pants down and kissing the head of Finn's cock. "When you're my only husband, and I'm yours, and we both belong to Rey."

That had Rey humming in satisfaction, too. "All mine. And a lovely long honeymoon."

"Just the three of us," Poe continued to tease with small licks, never giving Finn what he wanted. "Gonna string you along like this for days, leave you aching and wanting all the time."

Rey giggled, scrubbing her fingernails through Finn's hair and down his back.

Finn stretched carefully so as not to distract Poe and pressed back against Rey's fingers as she scratched. His hands needed something to do, and he soon had them buried in Poe's hair so he could tug—it was only fair, since Poe was trying to drive him mad—and scratch Poe's scalp, gentle over where there were now scars.

"Want you to do all of that," he answered, because he was clearly insane. He wondered how long Poe and Rey could keep him just this side of release, increasingly desperate and decreasingly coherent. They could always take turns driving each other crazy, using everything they knew to take each other apart by degrees.

He thought probably they could do it long enough that he forgot anything existed but the three of them, and that sounded like all he wanted in the world.

"But right now. Just want you two close." Both physically and mentally, he just wanted to occupy the same molecular space as them. " _And_ want you to stop messing around, Poe, before you fall asleep."

In answer to the plea and Finn's hands in his hair, Poe finally, finally, took him in his mouth, moaning at the attention and the chance to give attention. It had been too long. Also _Finn_ was, almost, too long. He had forgotten. Poe laughed at his own joke, drawing his lips tight along his length until he popped off.

"You're lucky I'm tired now, or I would keep you like this all night," Poe murmured, and then laughed again. "I guess the chili isn't still on my tongue? _That'd_ be a new sensation."

Rey cackled, cupping Finn's cheek. "One I don't think you would like. But Poe might."

"What kind of deviant do you think I am?" Poe protested, working a hand up and down Finn's length. "That's a bit much even for me. But, you know...maybe, if, in the heat of the moment..."

His voice came up to them slightly muffled between Finn's thighs, where he very quickly got back to work. Rey slid a leg up around his back, gentle at first until she knew she wouldn't hurt his shoulder, and then she rested her full weight on him as she pulled Finn into a kiss.

"You're so open like this," she praised, running her fingernails down his side until she could cup Poe's jaw, feel as Poe worked to fit Finn down his throat.

Finn trembled with holding still as Poe took him deeper, and he moaned softly into Rey's kiss. She took her time about it, nipping at his lip and pausing only minimally for breath. When she pulled away just slightly, he looked up at her and brought a hand to rest on her waist, tickling her softly until she laughed. It bubbled over their bond like a joyful little brook, and he laughed, too, and was silenced by another kiss. His grip on her hips tightened as Poe bobbed up and down.

"Fuck, Poe," he breathed, when he could.

Poe's neck and shoulder was beginning to ache from the awkward position, and his muscles felt weaker than he would have liked, but he was enjoying himself, and soon worked through his gag reflex until he swallowed Finn completely. It felt like a great accomplishment, a new first, as great as walking on his own again, running again, as good as seeing again or kissing Finn or Rey again.

Just, not one he could mention in polite company.

"Love you," he murmured, with his mouth still full, but it didn't matter: they both ran their hands through his hair as if understanding. Then he swallowed hard and Finn's hips bucked and he came, and the salty musky flavor wasn't—it wasn't _good_ , of course—but Poe _liked_ it, especially like this. Finn's legs were trembling under his hands, and Poe swallowed every drop until Finn was still and quiet.

Finn lay in perfect contentment for several long moments, brought back to the present only by Poe's soft whisper:

"Rey? I'm already down here..."

Rey laughed, rubbing his neck. "No, no, you need to lie down. You're already hurting yourself. Come here."

Together, Finn and Rey hauled Poe back up between them, stiff and groaning, but perfectly biddable. He gasped slightly as his cock dragged across Finn's hip.

"It would be unfair if we had all the fun," Finn told him softly, scratching along Poe's ribs a little harder than strictly necessary for comfort. "What do you want us to do to you, love, hmm? Want Rey to hold your wrists?"

Poe hummed a laugh, delighted, his eyes half-lidded. "Mm, I'm so tired, buddies. Either or neither. Might fall asleep halfway."

Rey kissed him, also laughing.

"I'd feel neglectful, though," she said, laying him out on his back between them and trailing her fingernails down his chest, through the dark hair below his navel. "I think you need some pain relief before bed."

"Ah-ahh," Poe gasped, hips hitching up as she curled her fist around his cock, and Finn's hand joined hers. He blushed at all the attention, and though his brow was knit with a small grimace, he protested, "You're getting your boyfriends mixed up. I _like_ it to hurt a little."

"I'm not at all," she purred. "I distinctly remember you explaining the difference between good pain and bad pain. I think we can tell the difference by now."

"Workout pain is good pain, too," Poe tried, breath hitching as Finn twisted his wrist. "Kriff. Mm, oh gods, Rey. Finn. Yeah, that—yeah."

Finn jacked Poe hard and slow, and Rey pressed Poe gently to the bed, kissing him and gently brushing her fingers over his skin to find any remaining pain. She and Finn both could feel that something hurt, and not necessarily in a good way.

"Shoulder," Rey murmured, and rested her palm gently over where Poe's skin was just a little warmer to the touch.

"Hmm?" Finn asked, having not paid attention.

"Your shoulder hurts, right?" Rey asked. Finn pressed several kisses (and, okay, maybe teeth were involved a little) against Poe's belly with a smile.

"Huh? No, it's fine, just a little—oh, shit yeah right there!" Poe's hips were rolling in small, weak circles to increase the friction, and he was gasping. His shoulder was already quite forgotten, though maybe because Rey was doing Force-magic to it.

"Not so easy to fool, our wife-to-be," Finn chuckled, slowing down his pace. He stroked Poe lazily a few more times, just to get him a little more desperate before he twisted his wrist again, the strokes coming just a little faster, and a little harder.

"Tell me what you want, love. Want to make your forget your shoulder for a minute," he hummed as he sat back enough to look at both of his loves, beautiful and close and so trusting and open here, where they were all safe and happy.

Poe laughed, gripping them each by a hip. "What shoulder? I have shoulders?"

His joke fell flat on the delivery because there just wasn’t enough blood in his brain to help him out. But Rey and Finn were tight and protective around him, and he could feel them connecting inside him and yeah maybe there was something to this tradition of waiting so that they would have something big and explosive on their wedding night: but small and simple and intimate was nice, too. He was too tired to think about anything else.

"Just want you," he gasped, and gave a weak thrust and came all over his belly and their hands.

Then exhaustion hit him like a train, and every ache from today screamed at him to never move again, and he sighed and lay back, eyes crossing as he tried to keep them open.

Poe felt light and floaty, a tingling pleasure sludging through his veins like someone had replaced his blood with lead. He was open and naked and intertwined with Rey and Finn in a way that felt more comfortable than being in his own self alone.

"No..." he murmured.

Someone pressed water to his lips, and Poe gulped at it, marveling how thirsty he was when he didn't _do_ much, and the last thing he remembered wondering was whose shoulder his head was on and who was tucked in on his other side, but then he was out.

Rey smiled at Finn across Poe's chest as he shifted just enough to get comfortable, and he grinned back, blinking sleepily.

"He already out?" he asked, and Rey nodded

"Pretty sure. Feels like it," she answered. She closed her eyes briefly to feel for him, where her awareness of him still hovered close. She held that awareness closer now than had been her habit before they lost him, and then found him again.

She blinked her eyes open and discovered Finn had closed his, and there was no need to use the Force to tell that his deep, even breaths were those of someone deeply asleep already. She reached across and rested her palm on his stomach, and, content, closed her eyes too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the biggest wedding in the galaxy (for real this time), in our next installment!

**Author's Note:**

> Running List of OCs:
> 
>  **Berno Bey:** Male human, Poe's maternal grandfather.  
>  **Breha Bey:** Female human, Poe's cousin, of comparable age to Rey and Finn.  
>  **Coni:** Female human Resistance soldier. Likes illegal tackles in Boloball.  
>  **Deeks:** Male human ex-stormtrooper, now pilot for the Resistance, complete dork.  
>  **Jonorai:** Female Twi'lek in charge of the Resistance daycare center.  
>  **Jura Bey:** Female human, Poe's maternal grandmother.  
>  **Karlo Dameron:** Male human, Kes' brother.  
>  **"Nana" Dameron:** Female human in her late 80s, Kes' mother. Suffers selective dementia.  
>  **Reist:** Nonbinary human Resistance soldier.  
>  **Dr. Rok Ori:** Male Chiss doctor who specializes in cybernetics and is obnoxious.  
>  **Sall:** Female Bothan physical therapist for the Resistance.  
>  **Sam Dameron:** Finn's clone rescued from a First Order cloning facility, adopted by Finn, Rey, and Poe. Drools a lot.  
>  **Sevens:** Nonbinary human ex-stormtrooper now Resistance soldier. Dating Jessika Pava.  
>  **Dr. Tamo Lan:** Female Ewok doctor of psychology, therapist for ex-stormtroopers.  
>  **Tano Bey:** Male human, Breha's husband. Childhood friends with Poe.  
>  **Timons:** Female human ex-First Order tech, was on the officer track before defecting. Major PTSD and anxiety.  
>  **Torch:** Male Zabrak Resistance soldier. Finn's second in command.
> 
> ...
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! And if you haven't read the rest of _Stars and Skies_ , we hope you'll check out the series.
> 
> Please let us know what you like or what we can improve on in the Comments. You can also come bother us on Tumblr at [Maeglinthebold](http://maeglinthebold.tumblr.com/) and [A-singer-of-songs](http://a-singer-of-songs.tumblr.com/).
> 
> And, as always, a shout-out to commenters and to the very supportive [SWWA](https://starwarswritingalliance.tumblr.com/)! 


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